Through the pain
by Lorandri
Summary: Roy brought Ed to this town to save her life, but the mysterious murders of young women made him worry that he had instead put her life in grave danger. Was he going to lose her after all, or would they make it out of that hellhole alive? [RoyxFem!Ed]
1. The Bullet

**Author's note: This is my first RoyxFem!Ed story, and it will be a multi-chapter. Be warned, it might be a bit too graphic for some readers, so if you're squeamish for descriptions of blood, don't read this and move to chapter two. I'm still a bit unsatisfied with my writing style, so I might make a few changes. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

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Roy paused for a moment, his eyes rapidly scanning the alley they were currently standing in, but not seeing much of anything. Night had fallen so suddenly, coupled by the thunderstorm that was currently assailing him; it had caught his group by surprise, so none of them were prepared when the shooting started.

Hawkeye, of course, was the first to respond, shooting back at the masked men with deadly accuracy. Three of them were dead before Roy even knew what was going on.

It didn't matter though, they were hopelessly outnumbered he had realized, as what he guessed was about thirty men had surrounded them. His eyes darted between his subordinates, assessing their odds against the small army around them. Havoc, Breda and Falman were unarmed, their reactions a fraction slower than that of Hawkeye's, who was the only one with a gun in her hands. Fullmetal had transmuted his arm into its usual blade, but that would be useless in a gunfight.

He, however, was more screwed than usual. Out of habit, he had pulled his hand in front of his face, snapping his finger the moment he realized what was happening. But the spark that was more often than not followed by a burning hot flame, died down before it even became visible. Of course, he thought bitterly, the rain pouring down on them with a vengeance.

"Drop your gun!" One of the men, Roy figured he was probably the leader, yelled as he moved closer. His Lieutenant glanced in his direction as he nodded for her to follow their instructions, before pursing her lips together, dropping her gun reluctantly. "Now tell the small fry to lower his blade!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT ANTS WOULD MISTAKE HIM FOR FOOD AND CARRY HIM OFF?!"

_Bang!_

Roy watched as his team hit the ground, instincts taking over. Everyone but Edward, that is. He stood there, defiantly, with a growl across his face, his one eye squeezed shut as his flesh hand clutched at his chest. Blood started dripping through his white knuckles, quickly becoming a stream, gushing out of his body.

"Why did you shoot?" The man yelled into the group.

_Now's our chance!_

With a nod at the rest of his team, they all scattered into different directions, Roy grabbing Edward by his arm before doing so himself. They ran, the injured alchemist being dragged by his superior down the streets, before reaching the alley he was currently inspecting.

Even though he wasn't a doctor, one look at Ed's face told him he needed help, and fast. The blood flow was slower, but Roy put that down to a lack of blood supply, and not a sign that the kid was alright. Taking a deep breath, Roy cautiously peeked around the corner, before pulling back into the alley. Sure enough, there were four men in the streets, frantically searching for them.

_Think, dammit, think!_

With a glance in Edward's direction, it hit him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of chalk. His emergency chalk. "Remind me to thank Hughes when we get home" he whispered to himself, as he scribbled a quick transmutation circle against the wall before placing his hands against it. With a growl he picked up the now unconscious Edward, before ducking into the hole in the wall, suddenly grateful that the alley was so dark, knowing it would be hard to spot the hole.

With a glance around the abandoned building, Roy quickly figured out they were hiding in what used to be someone's house. Shifting the weight on his shoulder slightly, he moved with quick, quiet steps through the building, his eyes searching for a place to hide.

After going through a disorganized kitchen and a barren living room, he found the perfect spot to lay low. With cautious movements, he descended the staircase, closing the door behind himself before heading to the bottom. By now his eyes had adjusted to the dark, so it didn't take him long to find the candle at the bottom of the staircase, a box of matches next to it. Careful not to drop Edward, he bent over slightly, striking a match and lighting the candle, a soft light filling the room.

The room was empty save for a broom in the corner. Who-ever lived here either didn't like basements or were meticulous movers. Carefully, Roy lay Edward on the ground, before pulling off his jacket, pressing it against his wound. The boy was ashen, his breathing shallow. Roy scowled, his mind racing, trying to find a way, _any way_, to save his life.

Slowly he thought of the basics that would be kept in a house, searching for anything that might be of use. His feet moved without question, as he raced back up the stairs, pausing only briefly to scan the house for any signs of life, before sprinting down the hallway. It took him two doors to find the bathroom, and he found himself praying to a god he didn't believe in, for the cabinet to contain a first aid kit.

Never has he thanked a deity so hard.

With renewed hope he sprinted back down the hallway, his hands clutching the first aid kit tightly. He knew he had barely been gone five minutes, but he swore that Edward looked completely different. His bangs were covering his face, his chest barely moving anymore, a layer of sweat across his temple. There was no time left.

Dropping down to the ground, Roy ripped open the first aid kit, his eyes taking inventory, while glancing over in the boy's direction, assessing what was needed to save him. The thread slipped through the needles eye with little issue, before he bit down on it, making sure it was long enough, and tying the ends together. If Edward lived through this, he was going to be so pissed.

Next, Roy grabbed the bottle of whiskey, which he firmly believed was a gift from the gods, taking a sip, before returning the cap. He was going to need it to sterilize the wound, as who-ever packed the kit, obviously couldn't find anything better. Roy's eyes moved to the boy, and taking a deep breath, removed his jacket, before lifting the boy's limp body to remove his own. Next was his shirt, which thankfully, he didn't need to remover fully. As Edward's shirt fell open, Roy nearly swallowed the needle that he had forgotten he had placed between his lips. The bullet had pierced through Edward's right breast, missing any vital organs.

_His right breast…_

"What the hell?!"

The lack of movement was all it took for Roy to snap out of his daze, his fingers frantically trying to find a pulse but failing. With a growl, he put his hands on top of his – _her_ – chest, before starting compressions.

_One, two, three, four, five… Dammit, wake up Edward!_

His hands pressed down harder, his eyes focused on his – _her _– face, as his – _her, dammit, are pronouns really that important right now? _– Hair clung to the sweat on his – _fuck it_ – face. Roy felt for a pulse, sighing as he felt a light thud against his fingers. Without hesitation, he reached for the scissors that lay next to the kit, cutting the bandages around Ed's chest, before taking the whiskey, and pouring some on the wound. Ed groaned as it hit the wound, a new layer of sweat breaking out across her forehead.

Roy swallowed hard, before reaching for the small tweezers, and he knew this was going to be the hardest part. Somehow, he had to remove the bullet, without injuring Edward further, and the instrument in his hand was barely large enough to remove a splinter properly, never mind a bullet. Wiping the sweat that had sprung out across his forehead against his sleeve, he placed his one hand around the wound in an attempt to steady himself, before carefully inserting the tweezers into Ed's chest.

Roy had never been so grateful for a girl passing out on him, he thought miserably as he dug deeper, desperately trying to find the bullet. It was becoming nearly impossible to hold the tweezers anymore when they hit something solid, making Roy inhale sharply.

_Careful now_

Slowly, he opened the tweezers, gripping the bullet hard, before pulling it out, little by little. Growling as the bullet slipped from the tweezers, he pressed down harder with his other hand, before gripping the bullet again, and pulling it out all the way. Satisfied that the bullet was still intact, Roy dropped it and the tweezers on his coat, before taking the needle out from between his lips. There was still some whisky left, the temptation of taking a swig making his throat burn. Instead, he poured the liquid over the needle in an attempt to sterilize it.

With one final glance at Edward's face, Roy stuck the needle in the wound, pulling the thread all the way through, before repeating the process several times, making sure the skin was tight. One final tug secured the wound, a neat stitch in it's place, as he cut the thread. Thinking it over, Roy decided it better to save the rest of the whiskey, in case there was another emergency. His eyes scanned over his work one final time, making sure everything was okay, before doing up her shirt again.

Roy sat there, watching a very pale Edward breathe slowly, and he couldn't help getting the feeling that every inhale was a struggle for her, the movement strained. Absentmindedly, he ran his hand along her cheek, the lack of her rants and insults making him ill to his stomach, when for the first time ever, he actually missed it. Roy had to get her to a hospital, or she would never make it through the night. But the closest one was an hour's drive from here, and he knew he would never be able to carry her all the way in the rain, nor would it be a good idea in her current condition.

It hit him like a brick. Reaching his hand into his coat's pocket, he couldn't help but smirk victoriously as his fingers folded around the paper Hawkeye had insisted he take earlier that day. With one last glance at Edward to make sure she was still with him, he turned his back to her, opening the map and sprawling it across the floor, bringing the candle closer so he could have a better look.

A bloody finger moved across the road, the same one they used to get to where they were currently failing a mission, quite badly he might add, until it stopped on a small town. Mentally measuring the distance, only twenty minutes drive from their current location, Roy decided there was no other option.

Folding the map up, he placed it back in his coat pocket, just in case he needed it, before deciding to have a look around the house for anything useful. Leaving the candle behind, Roy made his way upstairs, peering around the house for movement before leaving the basement. Already having checked three of the rooms earlier, he decided to have a look for clean clothes in the only bedroom he saw.

He couldn't believe his luck when he opened the wardrobe, only to see two dresses and an assortment of pants and shirts hanging neatly, untouched. His fingers brushed over the dresses, imagining Edward in one, a smile creeping across his face. But he knew that Fullmetal would probably kill him if she woke up in one of these, so instead he grabbed a pair of large pants and a black shirt for himself, before grabbing the smaller trousers and a polo neck for her. Satisfied having found dry clothes, Roy went back downstairs, stopping in the bathroom to wash his face and hands.

Roy hadn't realized how much blood was on him. It really was a miracle Edward hadn't bled out completely, but even he knew he had very little time before that became the case. He counted the steps, trying to focus his mind, as he headed downstairs. Deciding to change first, he quickly slipped off his military pants, followed by his white shirt, discarding them in the corner. After having slipped on the new clothes that fit quite nicely, he turned to Ed, unsure how to change her clothes without hurting her.

With careful movements he undid her shirt again, this time carefully lifting her off it before removing it completely. Roy inhaled sharply before pulling the shirt over head, exhaling as it slid into place. It was loose on her small frame, and he was grateful, not really wanting to put more pressure on her wound than absolutely necessary. Roy took off her boots, fingers lingering on the cool metal, before removing her pants. When he thought about it, Ed wasn't short at all, for a girl. The pants slid up her right leg first, as Roy bent and straightened it, before moving to the left. With a final tug, smiled to himself, the pants fitting her figure perfectly. He slipped her shoes back on, before lifting her shirt slightly to check on the wound. To his relief, it seemed like the blood had actually started to clot, the bleeding significantly less.

After slipping on his coat, he took her in his arms, her coat draped over her in an attempt to protect her from the rain, as he headed up the stairs. One glance into the alleyway told him what he needed to know. It was nearly midnight, and the chances of being spotted were a lot less. Deciding that this was probably his best chance at getting to the next town, Roy slipped out of the Alley, headed straight for the town with the best chances of saving his young subordinate's life.

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**I hope you enjoyed it :) This will probably be the shortest chapter in this series, so look forward to longer ones. Until next time!**


	2. Rayerk

**Author's note: To answer the guest reviewer's question on chapter one, no Roy did not know Edward was a girl, that's why he referred to him as male until halfway through. I will update this every Friday (if I can). If you like this, make sure to go read my RoyxFem!Ed one shot as well :3 Enjoy!**

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Roy wasn't sure how long he'd been running in the rain, Edward in his arms, but he knew he couldn't go much further, his legs burning from the strain of the extra weight the two Auto-mail limbs added. If he was being painfully honest, the only thing that kept his legs moving at all was the thought of never being called a bastard by the noisy little spitfire he had in his arms.

A sharp hiss escaped his lips as he slowed down to climb over the trunk of a falling tree, while trying to keep Edward from moving too much, not wanting to worsen her wound. His feet hit the ground with a thud, the force almost bringing him to his knees, but he forced himself to recover, pushing himself forward, the image of Edward bursting through his office door, the way she always did on the days he needed it most, in his mind.

He couldn't help but smile to himself, remembering her face the day before, when he had told her about their mission, and the fact that Al couldn't come along. Of course, she insulted and swore at him, even trying to sneak Al along, but he eventually convinced her that they would only be gone the day, and Al needed therapy after recovering his body. She had reluctantly agreed, but she stomped her feet in the same cute way she always did. He would never admit it to anyone, but he really did think it was cute. Now that he knew Fullmetal was really a girl, it made him less ashamed of it.

And now he might never see her stomp her feet again.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Roy ducked under a low hanging branch, urging his already exhausted legs to move faster. His one hand had a constant hold of her wrist, keeping track of her pulse, his own beating in his ears loudly. Three beats belonging to his own heart, the fourth joined by a weak thud of hers. _Thud, Thud, Thud, __**Thud. **__ Thud, Thud, Thud, __**Thud.**_

Roy focused on their heartbeats instead of the burning pain shooting into his spine. He knew if he gave up now, he would hate himself forever for letting her die. They had to be close to the Town. They would have a way to save her. They _had_ to save her.

_Thud, Thud, Thud, __**Thud.**_

_Thud, Thud, Thud, __**Thud.**_

_Thud, Thud, Thud, Thud._

Roy stopped short, his eyes darting to the girl in his arms, his fingers tightening around her wrist.

_Thud, Thud, Thud, Thud._

Shaking his head, he closed his eyes, focusing on the fourth beat, refusing to believe what his mind was telling him.

_Thud. _ One, his own.

_Thud. _ Two, his own, again.

_Thud. _ Three. He cleared his mind, focusing on the next one, willing it to be there.

_Thud. _ A single heartbeat in his own chest, alone. Edward's heartbeat was gone.

Roy's eyes flew open, his mind reeling. They had to be close. "Stay with me Edward." His voice was raw, almost unrecognizable. With a renewed urgency he pushed himself forward again, his legs moving against their will, faster and faster. Roy couldn't help but notice the limp body in his arms, what little strength it had had before, completely gone. "You're not allowed to die on me!" He hissed at her, his eyes scanning the horizon as he ran. "You're not allowed to give up!"

A wave of relief washed over him like an ocean when he spotted the faint glow of light in the distance. A few moments later he stood in the middle of a small Town, his onyx eyes darting around frantically, trying to figure out whom to ask for help. And there was no time to waste. Edward had been dead in his arm for a few minutes now.

"Are you alright, son?"

Roy jumped around at the sound, his eyes scanning the old man slowly. He could only think of one word. One single word, out of all the words in the world, and he breathed it out, like he had been holding it in this whole time.

"Help…"

* * *

Roy sat in the corner of a small house, his one leg spread out in front of him, the other supporting his elbow, mind still spinning. The last thing he could remember after laying Ed down on a blanket was her pale face. Roy clenched his fists, closing his eyes, as her face entered his vision. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew better than most what it meant to be that pale, having seen it himself so many times. But he would never have imagined it happening to Edward Elric, the boy, no, girl, that he had recruited into the military himself.

There was no-one else to blame but himself. If he hadn't gone to Resembool all those years ago, Edward would probably still be alive. Even though that meant that he would never have known her, but right now, in that very moment, never having met her was better than him being the cause of her body lying lifeless just a few feet from where he sat. What was he going to tell Al? That he had failed to protect his sister, even after promising him that she'd be back the next day? Would Al cry, or would he blame Roy for his sister's death? Whatever Al did do, he would accept it, and much more. There were no delusions in his mind about it. He had let Edward Elric die in his arms.

Movement could be heard in the room they had her body. Why they were still so busy was beyond him. Once a person was dead, they stayed that way. No amount of shuffling feet could change that, as much as his heart wished it could. He couldn't take it any more, just sitting there, while her body lay lifeless in the next room. If he didn't get out of the house fast, he would surely suffocate on his guilt. And he couldn't do that until he had faced whatever Al was going to throw at him.

Silently, Roy got up, his legs protesting vigorously, but he ignored the pain as he stepped out into the morning air. Just how long he had been sat in that house was beyond him. The faint outlines of sunrise peaked through the clouds, the rain having finally stopped. Silently he cursed the skies for not mourning Edward's loss. The sky had been drowning the world since last night, and when it finally had a reason to, it had stopped. The irony made Roy fill with a burning rage.

There was nowhere for him to go, so when his body went limp against the wall of the house, Roy let it, not really caring anymore. He sat there until his mind was numb from the pain of the loss, and then he sat some more, wishing that he had something to drown his pain in. So when the man spoke to him, he didn't hear his voice. Roy didn't know how many times the man had tried to get his attention, but when he finally looked at him after being poked several times, the man had a annoyed look on his face. Moving lips told him that he was talking, though his ears wasn't hearing any sound other than his heart beating in slow rhythms.

Again, the man let out what Roy believed to be a sigh of exasperation, before disappearing into the house. A moment later Roy was on his feet, a familiar red coat in his hands that could only belong to one person. His eyes shifted to the man slowly.

"Got your attention now, son? Good. Can you come inside?'

Roy didn't say a word, but decided to nod his head, following the man a moment later. Clutching the red coat against his chest, Roy watched as the man entered the room they had her body in. Perhaps they wanted to show him that she was, in fact, dead, and reassure him that they had done everything they could to save her.

Swallowing hard – _god, he was not ready for this _– Roy entered the room. It took his eyes a minute to adjust to the brightness of the room, before he could make out her shape in the bed. Her hair framed her face so perfectly, the braid having come undone sometime during the night, that her features made him question how he had never noticed Fullmetal was a girl before.

It suddenly became very hard to breathe, her lifeless body so close to him, her coat against his chest, that he felt like he was suffocating. The look on his face must have alerted the man next to him, as he was suddenly forced into a chair. It was all he could do to hear the voice above his beating heart.

"Are you alright, son? What you having a panic attack for?" The man said as he handed Roy a paper bag, urging him to breathe into it, which he did, slowing his breathing enough for his focus to return. "Better? Good. Now, as I was saying, we'll get you set up with a room this afternoon, but the lady will have to stay here for a few days before she can be moved."

"Why would you need her here? Isn't she going to start decomposing?" The bag was in front of his mouth again, the mere thought of her body disappearing sending him into another attack. Never has he had a reaction this bad to someone's death before. Then again, he thought bitterly, usually he'd be drunk by now.

"What are you talking about, son. She's not dead."

What kind of a cruel joke was this? Roy lifted his hand to his face, his fingers ready to snap. "Old man, you might not know me, but right now is not the time to lie to me. I will incinerate you on the spot!" Roy could feel his fingers move, the instinct almost too much to control, when a sigh pulled his attention to the bed. His heart stopped as he focused on her face, waiting for something – _anything_ – to move.

Edward's chest moved slowly, up and down.

Instinctively he yanked his glove off, Roy's hand reaching out, resting on her cheek, his thumb on her lips as his eyes closed, waiting. Sure enough, his finger warmed up as she exhaled slowly.

"How can this be?"

"You got her here just in time, son. We restarted her heart soon after you lay her down, and she's stable now. But like I said, she's going to have to stay here for a while, alright, son?"

He had no words. For once, the great Roy Mustang had no words. He simply stood there, staring at Ed, as his whole being radiated with happiness and relief, a single thought going through his mind.

He was going to hear her call him a bastard again.

* * *

How was that even possible? Roy shoved his hands in his pockets, a frown on his face as he walked back to where Ed was staying. It had been two days since they arrived in this town, and he had thought it wise to try and contact Central. His plan backfired though, when he found out that there wasn't a single phone in this town. None.

When he inquired about it, the only replies he got were shrugs. It was like the entire town just didn't care that they had no way to communicate with the outside world. And that meant there was no way for him to let his team know that they were alive. Roy nodded in greeting as a woman passed him, a smile spread across her face. He entered the house without knocking, closing the door behind himself before entering her room.

Edward looked better, her normal skin tone having returned yesterday. The wound was healing nicely as well, the man Fu, had ensured Roy that morning. Apparently the wound had been treated quickly enough so no major damage would occur. The only thing that he had to worry about now, was whether Ed would wake up herself or not.

According to Fu, there are some risks to the brain after being dead for a certain amount of time, and Ed had fallen into that category. Roy didn't know what to expect, and that unnerved him. Taking his usual seat next to her bed, he watched as her chest moved with each breath, the motion calming his frazzled nerves slightly. What was he going to do? There was no doubt in his mind that his subordinates were looking for them. Since they were here in this town, however, he knew they'd find nothing, and that would worry them. By now, he thought bitterly, Al was probably carving his tombstone.

"What are we going to do, Fullmetal?" He asked her unconscious body, sighing as he sat back in his chair, his legs spreading out as his spine slipped towards the floor, his neck stretched out as his head hang back. Roy didn't expect the blonde to respond, but he continued anyway, the silence driving him mad. "No doubt I'll be dead the moment Hawkeye gets a hold of me. Not to mention your brother."

Roy lifted his bare hand to his nose, massaging the bridge of it in an attempt to relieve the tension that was forming, threatening to turn into a headache. "I'm going to have to find a way to get a message to them soon. Strange thing is I haven't seen a single vehicle either. Not one. Isn't that weird, Fullmetal?"

Roy sighed, sitting up after another moment of silence, his gaze falling on her face. Resting his elbows on his knees, he held his chin up in his hands, his eyes closed. As his mind wandered, he slowly fell asleep, the sound of Edward's steady breathing soothing him like a lullaby.

* * *

"Where the hell am I?!"

Roy woke with a start, his eyes darting around the room looking for what woke him. The voice was so familiar, yet it came as a shock to him to hear it, as Edward hung out of her bed, fighting with Fu as she tried to get up, a disgruntled Fu complaining about her opening her wounds. Roy couldn't help himself, a low laugh escaping his lips as he watched them argue, the sight so comforting and familiar, it warmed his heart.

The sound was enough to alert Ed of his presence, making her throw a glare in his direction, a growl escaping her lips.

"What the hell, Mustang. Where are we?"

"We're about twenty minutes from Fenief, in the town called Rayerk" Roy answered, his usual commanding tone in his voice.

"Young miss, please lay down."

"What the hell are we doing here?" Edward demanded, ignoring Fu as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"I brought you here after you got shot, _Shorty_"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SUPER ULTRA SHORT BEAN THAT CANT SEE OVER…"

"Lay down!" Fu shoved her down, making her winch before finishing her rant. Roy couldn't stop himself; he shot a death glare at Fu, his fingers twitching involuntarily.

"You should take it easy, Fullmetal. Your wound still needs time to heal." Roy put his hand up as she started to protest, interrupting her. "That's an order. Stay in that bed and recover."

Roy couldn't help but smile as she whispered the one word he missed hearing the most.

"Now, miss, I need you to follow my finger." Fu said as he held his finger in front of Ed's face. An amused smirk crossed Roy's lips as Ed's face went red; finally registering that Fu was calling her miss.

"I-I'm not a g-girl!" Ed stuttered, trying his best to sound offended but failing terribly, making Roy rumble with laughter. "What the hell are you laughing at, Bastard?!"

Roy ignored her question as he laughed, responding instead with a question of his own. "How long have you been in denial, Fullmetal?"

The blush that spread across her cheeks made her look amazingly cute, Roy couldn't help but think, as Ed glared at him, a half-panicked, half embarrassed look on her face.

"Follow my finger." Fu instructed again, and Ed complied silently, doing as the old man asked. After a few tests he left the room, content that she was, in fact, alright. Roy watched with an amused smile on his face as Ed stared at the wall, her arms still crossed across her chest, a pout on her lips.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him, her voice uncharacteristically soft, startling him slightly. "So now you know… that I'm a girl, I mean. What are you going to do to me?" When he didn't answer, she quickly continued. "I'm still the same Edward, even if I am female, and I'll work twice as hard to prove it! Just… just don't kick me out of the military… It's the only life I know."

He couldn't believe his ears. Did she really think he thought less of her because she was born a woman, or that he would have her thrown out of the military, especially after everything she had done for Amestris? He couldn't help but laugh; the idiocy of the whole thing too much to take.

His laugh seemed to snap her back to her old self, as she growled at him, her voice low, almost dangerous. "What the hell are you laughing at?!"

"At you, Shorty. I'm not going to do anything to you. It doesn't matter if you're male or female." He watched as her scowl turned into a confused look, before he continued thoughtfully. "On second though, I might make you fill in the paperwork when we get back to Central. Gender change isn't exactly common, and I really don't care for the paperwork that it probably entails." Nodding to himself, he smiled. "Yes, I think I'll do that."

"Like hell am I doing your job, you lazy bastard!" she yelled, bringing another smile to his already beaming face.

* * *

Edward stared at her stitches, her mouth hanging open as she did so. To her surprise, the scar wasn't as large as she had thought it would be, and the stitching was neatly done as well. Her gaze moved to the woman as she cleaned around the wound, before applying an ointment and a clean bandage.

"I don't understand." She didn't like admitting when she was stumped, but this had her really confused. "I've seen scars from bullet wounds, and this looks nothing like one."

"Scars from bullets usually look quite different, but there are many factors to take into account." Lydia, Ed recalled her calling herself earlier, explained in a tone that reminded her a lot of Hawkeye. "The distance the bullet had travelled, the care of the wound afterwards, and even if the bullet had shattered or split upon entry are some of the factors that need to be considered when looking at the scar. You see, most bullets fracture upon entry, some even shattering into tiny pieces of shrapnel. These wounds are generally more extensive, the removal of the bullet expanding it even more, and thus the scar would look different."

"So why…"

"Again, many factors play a part. Firstly, that man, Roy, was it? He had removed the bullet shortly after entry, which lessens the damage to the surrounding tissue slightly. You were also very lucky, since the bullet stayed in tact, with no fractures…" Lydia finished wrapping Ed's chest, slowly lowering her shirt over the wound again. "It didn't hurt that it was stitched really well either. Honestly, the only reason you were in the state you were in when you got here, was because he had no way of administering blood. The loss of blood was what hurt you the most."

Absentmindedly Ed ran her hand over the wound, her mind digesting everything Lydia had said, one word at a time. It felt strange knowing her commanding officer had seen her topless, but somehow she couldn't find herself feeling embarrassed about it. She understood that he had saved her life by removing the bullet, and she owed him a great debt.

Growling at the thought of owing Mustang anything, she lay back on her pillows as her eyes closed. "We'll be releasing you tomorrow, but you're not stable enough for travel yet, especially not to Central." The sound of the nurse leaving the room told Ed that she was alone, so she opened her eyes again, her mind wandering to Al. No doubt her brother was freaking out by now. Even when he was in Resembool with Winry, they made a point of calling at least once a day. The habit of knowing where the other was had been the hardest one to break, and neither of them seemed to really want it to.

Footsteps entered her room, making her glance at Brigadier General Mustang, before closing her eyes again. She knew she was going to have to thank him for everything, but she didn't fancy doing it while she was confined to one spot. He was no doubt going to tease her in some way when she did, and Ed would rather have the option of relocating herself if need be.

"How's the wound, Fullmetal?"

"Fine."

"That's good. According to the doctor you're not stable enough to travel yet, for some reason, so they set us up in a small empty house." Edward heard as he sat down in the chair next to her, and she couldn't help but realize that he had spent more time in that chair than not. "I don't quite understand, if I'm honest. I've seen men fight in wars with worse wounds than that, so surely it should have been fine to move you days ago."

It hit a nerve. To her it almost sounded like the bastard was calling her weak, and she was anything but weak. Without thinking twice, she sat up, her voice raised as she yelled. "Who the hell are you calling weak, you bastard?!"

"I didn't call you weak, Fullmetal." His voice was its usual husky calm tone, almost bored. "I said the fact that the doctors were saying you couldn't be moved was strange." Placing his chin on his folded hands, which were resting on his knees, he continued. "It's almost like they don't want us to leave, and that worries me. And to top it all off, they're letting us stay in a house. If it was a flat, maybe even a spare bedroom in another family's house, I'd understand. But it's a whole empty house, for two people who would be leaving soon. It just doesn't fit."

Edward tilted her head, her bangs hanging in her face, as she considered what he was saying. Of course, he had a valid point. The wound in her chest, while still sensitive, was nowhere near bad enough to justify not travelling. And the idea of giving two total strangers that had no intention of staying a minute longer than they had to, a house? It just sounded ridiculous. Auto-mail fingers moved through her golden hair, twisting a small piece around one finger, a habit she had when it wasn't braided.

"I had a look around town earlier…" Roy ran his gloved hand through his black hair, leaning back into the chair, before continuing. "It seems the roads to the town were never completed, which explains the lack of vehicles. We'll probably have to go through the same forest we used to get here, when we head back. Hopefully Lieutenant Hawkeye has taken over Fenief by now, so once we get there, everything will be fine." A thought crept into his mind at the mention of her name. He had been so pre-occupied with Edward that he had completely forgotten the situation they were in when he last saw his subordinates. Roy could only hope that they had made it away from the men safely. But he knew there was no point in worrying over it at that moment. Whether he liked it or not, he was in no position to help them where he was, and he couldn't very well leave Ed here to go to Fenief. So he had to play the waiting game with her.

"Do you know if they're alright, Mustang?" Her tone was harsher than she intended, so she quickly added. "Hopefully they got away in one piece."

"They're alright, Fullmetal. They are, after all, the best there is."

Edward flinched, the wound suddenly an insult to her. It would stay with her forever, a reminder that she was, in fact, the weakest out of everyone under Mustang's command. She couldn't help but smile, accepting the silent challenge to become even better, just to prove the bastard wrong, as she had done so many times before.


	3. The Cottage

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is late, things got a bit crazy and I couldn't get it finished in time. **

* * *

Her eyes followed the men as they moved in groups past her, though she wasn't really seeing any of them. Riza stood in the middle of Fenief three days after having split up from her Commanding officer. After she made it to the house she had hidden in, she had realized that Roy wasn't with her. It didn't take her long to figure out that he had probably grabbed Edward and had made it to a different house.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" The voice snapped her back to reality, as she saluted the man in front of her. "Lieutenant, you might want to see this…"

Riza followed the soldier into the alley, stopping in front of the hole in the wall, almost unnoticeable in the dark passage, despite it being noon. No doubt, this was where Roy had hidden with Fullmetal. Taking a deep breath, she ducked her head low as she stepped through the hole, squinting her eyes as she tried to adjust to the dark.

"Down here, Lieutenant…" Havoc's voice called her from what she assumed was a basement. Riza climbed the steps, her eyes scanning the room as she reached the bottom. A half-burnt candle stood next to a heap of bloody clothes. "Seems that Brigadier General brought the chief here. We found a bloody first aid kit, and a bullet."

"Mustang must have removed it from Fullmetal, and stitched him up…"

"Seems that way, Lieutenant. We also found some bloody handprints on a wardrobe upstairs. We're guessing Roy took some clean clothes for them." Lifting Roy's discarded pants, Riza nodded, figuring Havoc was right. "One of the dresses in the wardrobe also had some blood on it, but we figured that was just the General being his usual pervy self." Moving the cigarette in his mouth, he continued, "The question is, where they are now."

"Second Lieutenant Breda, bring me the map"

"Yes Sir!"

Hawkeye lay the map on the ground, her finger tapping Fenief as she scanned the area surrounding it. "Fullmetal had probably lost a lot of blood, judging from the sheer amount on the clothes, so… the General probably figured out he needed to get him to a hospital or clinic. The closest to us is Welosl and Rayerk." Her finger moved to Welosl, then to Rayerk, as she thought about which one they would have headed towards. With a sigh, she turned to Havoc. "Take Major Armstrong and a group of men, and head to Rayerk. We'll cover Welosl."

* * *

Today was the day that she'd be released. Roy would be lying if he said he wasn't excited. Just a few days ago Ed had been dead in his arms, and now she was not only alive and breathing, but she was going to return to being an almost uncontrollable force. It had always been a struggle to keep up with her in the past, always darting off into trouble, and somehow, the thought of her keeping him on his toes until they could leave the town, excited him in a way he's never been before.

Roy entered the house, mentally forcing his excitement down, his usual smirk plastered on his lips. He placed his hand on the handle of the door, but froze.

"…We're losing her!" It was Fu's voice.

No. This wasn't happening. Roy had seen her last night, and she was perfectly fine. In fact, she had even paced around the room, ranting about how she had been more than ready to leave the day before. So how could she be dying again? Roy couldn't move, his heart beating in his ears loudly as his hand stayed frozen on the handle of the door. Had he missed something? Was the damage done to her brain from not only the loss of blood, but being dead for so long, been more extensive than they had realized? Or had something else happened?

What was he going to do now? He had failed her again… Edward had died under his watch for the second time in a week. If Al didn't kill him, Roy would surely die from his guilt alone. As his mind hysterically searched for anything that he might have missed, a flicker of hope rose within him. Perhaps she was going to be alright. Ed had cheated death before, and he knew she was too stubborn to not do so again. The hope within him shattered as he heard Fu's voice again a few moments later, though.

"She's dead. Please make a note of the time, Lydia…"

* * *

Edward slipped her jacket over her shoulders, grateful for the comfort it brought, before braiding her hair, her fingers manipulating each strand with ease, the habit of doing it each day taking over. She had to admit, the auto-mail had made it a challenge in the beginning, strands sometimes getting caught in the metal bits and bends, but after years of practice, it had become a non-issue.

A smile crossed her face as she remembered when Al tried braiding it for her once, when she had just gotten her arm. He was so nervous, his big clunky hands fumbling with the strands. When he had finished, she had a tangled mess of hair, some parts not even braided, while others were knotted into weird angles. Of course, she acted like she liked it, and had worn it proudly that day. Getting it undone that night… now that was a different story entirely. It felt like her hair was going to be ripped from her skull with each brush stroke…

"Move!"

Edward stumbled away from the bed startled, as Fu and a group of men she didn't know, carried in a woman, placing her on the bed she was in less than ten minutes ago. The men left shortly after, and Edward couldn't stop staring at the woman, her breath caught on her lips. Fu moved frantically, Lydia handing him various tools, as he tried to stop the blood flow from the numerous cuts on her body.

"What happened?" The words slipped from her lips before she could stop herself, reminding them that she was still in the room. Fu barely glanced at her as he worked, his hands pressing against the cut against her neck.

"We don't know. Found her like this. You can't be here… We're losing her!" Fu exclaimed as his fingers pressed against her neck, noticing the pulse had faded. Lydia placed her hands on the woman's chest, starting the compressions as Fu grabbed a syringe, jabbing it into her arm. Fu dropped the syringe on the table next to the bed moments later, as he placed his fingers on her neck again, Lydia stopping the compressions, biting her lip in anticipation. Lydia moved her hands back seconds later, pressing against the woman's chest as she counted. Edward watched as Lydia continued the motion for a few more seconds, before dropping her arms, Fu having already removing his gloves, a grave look on his face.

"She's dead. Please make a note of the time, Lydia…"

The door flew open, making Edward jump with a start, her eyes locking with Onyx. Ed couldn't help but notice how pale his face was, his eyes akin to those of an animal caught in headlights.

"W-what…" He sputtered, his grip on the handle tightening until his knuckles were as pale as his face.

"They found her," Ed's gaze moved back to the woman on the bed before she continued, "like that. Don't know what happened to her."

Mustang stood in the doorway for a moment longer, before straightening himself, his face returning to normal, a soft sigh escaping his lips, moving closer to inspect the woman on the bed. "This is quite gruesome… Any idea who could have done this, Fu?" She couldn't help but look at him as he spoke. Was this really the same man who was as pale as a ghost seconds ago? Gone was the fear she had seen in his eyes, replaced in an instant by an authoritive soldier. Edward couldn't help but admire him, if only for a second.

"No idea. We haven't had any murders in this town in ten years, so," Fu lay a blanket over the woman's body, covering her face as well, before continuing, "I have no idea what to make of this."

"Do you have any form of police in the town?"

Even as he asked the question, Edward already knew the answer. If the town had any form of police or military, they would have been there to speak to her the moment she had regained consciousness, if only to figure out whom they were and what had happened.

"None. We're a small town, we have had no real need for anything like that."

"Guess I'll take charge of this case then." Roy's hand pressed Fu's shoulder reassuringly, before he turned to Ed. "You ready to go, Fullmetal?" He turned to Fu as she moved towards the door. "I'll come by to get any other information you can tell me, if you don't mind doing an autopsy on her?"

"Certainly, son. I'll get started on that as soon as I can. Come by tomorrow."

With a nod, they left the house, heading towards where they would be spending the next couple of nights. Despite it being afternoon, the town was rather quiet, a hand full of people on the street, the two of them included. Edward walked behind Mustang quietly, her thoughts still with the woman who had just died before her eyes. Who could have killed her, and why? The cuts on her body didn't seem like a normal killing, many of them similar to a torture case she had read about back in central. Perhaps the woman was tortured for information?

That couldn't be it, though. She looked like a normal woman, no special ties to any military or other type of organization. There was no way she would have any information that warranted such torture techniques. The only other explanation of her wounds made Ed visibly shiver.

"Fullmetal?" His voice made her jump, having forgotten he was even there.

"I couldn't help but notice…"

"She was tortured." Roy didn't wait for her to finish, it having been on his mind since they left the house as well. "It's probably the work of some psychopath who enjoys torturing women."

Another shiver shot up her spine. It really wasn't something she liked thinking about, if she was honest. Not because she herself was a woman, of course. What she didn't like about it was that there was actually someone in this small town, who could be anyone, that enjoyed torturing innocent women. Someone who actually found pleasure in bleeding women dry.

"I'll look into it more in the morning when Fu is done with the autopsy." He said, heading up a pathway.

Edward nodded silently, deciding there was probably no point until they had more information anyway. So she took in her surroundings instead, her eyes taking in every detail around her. The trees had no leaves left on them, the ground covered in different shades of red, yellow and brown, a sure sign that winter was just a few days away. Every house they passed seemed old, many of them having little or none of their original paint left. Many of them even had broken windows and missing tiles on the rooftops.

Ed couldn't help but notice the density of housing decreasing as they continued. Was the house they were going to stay in at the very edge of the town? Better question, she thought as she passed another worn down house, this one with no doors or windows, what was their house going to look like?

Ed stopped, her breath caught on her lips as her eyes finally stopped on a small cottage at the end of the road, woods on either side of it. This cottage was absolutely nothing like the rest of the town. Yes, it needed a paint job quite desperately, but all its windows were intact, a strong door visible even from where she stood. It was actually quite beautiful, she had to admit, even with the peeling paint.

Roy ran his hand through his hair as he stopped, waiting for her to catch up again. "Come on Fullmetal, you can admire my handy work later."

"Your handy work?" Ed asked as she fell in step next to him again.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he replied, his voice sounding almost bored to her. "I didn't like the idea of staying in a broken down shack, so I repaired as much as I could. It still needs some care, and a coat of paint wouldn't hurt it either, but it'll do for tonight."

"There's no real point in fixing it up, Mustang. We'll be out of here soon anyway, so we can just live with it for now, cant we?"

"Fu agreed to us living here with the condition that we fix it up before leaving." Roy's footsteps crunched with every move, the ground covered in dead leaves. "The house they had us in originally was in the middle of town, and I really wasn't in the mood for that."

Edward watched as he opened the door, his frame disappearing into the cottage as she followed. She had to agree with him, having seen the state of the houses in town. There was no way she would have stayed in any of them, regardless if it was a temporary stay or not. Even she had some standards.

"I found this place when I was scouting out the town, and after a short inspection, decided I'd rather shack up here. I take it you don't mind, Fullmetal?"

"I don't really care." She lied, shrugging her shoulders as she scanned the place. This place was no doubtedly infinitely better than any of the other houses in the town, and she was grateful that he had thought it a better idea to stay here than in the shit hole they were probably given at first.

The place was covered in a thick layer of dust, leaves having flown in through the previously broken windows. Ed wasn't usually that bothered about where she stayed, but for some unknown reason, she really wanted to clean the place up a bit. With one glance at the couch that stood in front of the empty fireplace, she knew she wouldn't have much of a choice anyway. Sitting on anything with that much dust on wasn't really an option.

Then again, she still couldn't understand why they didn't just head straight for Central. Ed knew she was perfectly fine to travel, and if they reached Fenief, they would probably even have a welcoming party, the military having no-doubtedly taken over the town by now. Why Mustang was following Fu's instructions was beyond her.

"In here, Fullmetal…"

Ed moved down the hallway, feet crunching and creaking with every step. The first room she reached was a bedroom, and judging from the military jacket sprawled across the bed, the room was already claimed.

"That one is mine…"

The tone of his voice made her clench her fist, already knowing that he had his usual smug look plastered across his face. Ed turned towards him, and her eyes scanned his frame as he leaned against the doorway across from her, with that smug expression on his face, just as she had guessed. Despite her best efforts, she had to admit, he was a handsome man, his shirt taught in the right places, framing his strong shoulders.

Pulling herself together before she could admire him any longer, she moved past him, concentrating rather hard on looking bored, despite the slight flutter in her chest as she brushed against him as he stood there. Her eyes scanned the room slowly, noticing every detail. The windows had a pair of curtains hanging in front of them, the material clean, obviously a new addition to the house. Standing next to the small bed, was a stand, a book placed on top of it.

Curious, Ed moved over to inspect the book, not a single trace of dust on it, or on anything in the room, she noted to herself quietly, stopping in front of it.

"Advanced Alchemic Theories…"

"I figured you'd need something to read." Roy shrugged, pulling her attention to him as he still stood in her doorway, his eyes focused on the book in her hand. "I found that in the library… I think it was a library…"

"Uh, thanks…" The day couldn't get any weirder if it tried. Was she actually thanking the bastard?

Roy shrugged, before moving into the hallway, waving his hand up as he spoke. "I'll go and find us something to eat for dinner."

"It's still afternoon…"

"It might take some time to find anything, I highly doubt they have a store in this town with ready-to-eat food."

She had to admit, Roy had a point. There would be no point in having a shop in such a quiet town. They probably grew their own food. Thinking back though, she recalled her dinner the previous night tasting very much like the rabbit she had caught with Al when they were travelling. Ed slipped out of her jacket, dropping it on the bed before heading into the living room again, having made up her mind about what to do next.

One glance around at the house, she decided it best not to try and form anything out of the materials in the house itself. It might look stable, but she really didn't want to test her luck, opting to head towards a small tree instead. Out of the corner of her eyes she could just make out his frame, as Roy moved back into the town, his hands in his pockets. Biting her lip, Ed moved closer to the smallest tree. With a swift motion, she clapped her palms together, before touching them to the base of the tree, watching as it turned into a few items, dropping to the ground as they finished forming.

The next thing she needed, Ed thought as she leaned the rake and broom against the wall, would be something to remove the layers of dust. Feet moving on instinct, she found herself holding Roy's jacket a moment later, a wicked grin across her face. He would be so pissed. Thinking about it, she dropped it back on his bed, before moving to the dresser against the wall. Mustang would be insufferable if she turned his jacket into curtains, and as much as she would love to torment him, she was stuck in the same house for the time being.

Opening the drawers, Ed yanked out the first couple of shirts, the fabric almost completely yellow from age, before slamming the drawers shut again. Moving outside again, she decided that ensuring they had dinner, was her first priority. Ed had no faith in Mustangs ability to bring them anything, so she would have to provide food instead. With a smooth movement, she turned the first shirt into two ropes, before heading into the nearby woods to set basic traps, hoping the rabbit she had last night wasn't the only one in these woods.

After having set the traps, she moved back to the house. Grabbing the bucket she had also fashioned from the tree before, Ed moved towards the kitchen, silently praying that the house had some sort of running water system. To her relief, the tap heaved and croaked as water sputtered out, filling the bucket half way. Turning back to the living room, she rolled up her shirt's sleeves, a determined look on her face as she dropped the second shirt into the water.

* * *

Roy ran his hand through his hair as he turned away from another house, empty handed. He had asked just about every person he could think of where to get food, and each person had looked at him confused in return. Onyx eyes scanned the street, trying to find any sign of where he should go next. If he didn't bring something back to Ed, not only would they go hungry tonight, but she would give him hell. And as much as he liked that she was alive and well, Roy really didn't feel like being on the receiving end of her yelling tonight.

The sky was a brilliant red hue, the sun hanging low on the horizon. With a defeated sigh, he shoved his hands into his pockets, as he turned down the street, heading towards Fu's place in a last ditch effort to procure some food. The doctor had been kind enough to feed both him and Ed this whole time, maybe he would be kind enough to help out again. After all, they were still here on his insistence, wouldn't it be stupid to let them starve? Roy turned again, heading towards the familiar building in the distance. The closer he got to the house, the more he became aware of the smell of iron in the air. Years of being around the smell, it didn't take him long to place it, his eyes scanning to roads searching for the red substance. Of course, there was no blood anywhere, but the chill ran down his back regardless. Roy came to a stop in front of the familiar black door, knocking three times before showing his hand through his black hair, dropping it to his side a second later, his eyes still scanning the road.

The door swung open, revealing a disheveled Fu. "Oh, it's you son. What can I do for you?"

"What happened?"

Fu scanned him up and down, before opening the door fully, letting him step inside. "That obvious, is it?" The door closed behind Roy, before Fu moved back into the room Ed had pre-occupied just that morning. "Another woman was brought in about half an hour ago. Same type of wounds as the first victim."

"Another one?" Roy's eyes scanned the bed, noticing the bloody sheet covering the body. The strong smell of blood made it very clear that she hadn't survived the attack. "Two kills in one day, that's a bit fast for a town that hasn't had a single murder in ten years, don't you think?"

"I agree. It's extremely unsettling. I'm going to start on the autopsy of the first woman in a couple of minutes, if you want to stick around for the results."

Roy turned towards Fu as he spoke. "No, I'll come back tomorrow for that. I can't do much at night anyway."

"So, what did you come here for, son?"

"I actually wanted to know where we're supposed to find food in this town."

Fu turned around, heading out of the room again, Roy following him, as the old man spoke. "That reminds me, I wanted to give you something. We grow our own food in this town, and catch whatever meat we need ourselves. Since your stay here is temporary, I'll give you whatever vegetables you need, but you're going to have to get your own meat like everyone else. There's an abundance of rabbit in these woods, and a small lake with plenty of fish to the east. Of course, there is more than rabbits in the woods, but most of us settle for the easy prey."

Roy took the basket from Fu as he handed it to him, filled to the brim with various veggies. "I appreciate it. We're going to leave as soon as Ed is ready to travel anyway, so we shouldn't need that much…"

"Actually, about that…" Fu scratched the back of his neck as he spoke, "I wanted to ask you and Ed to stay here until the murderer was caught."

"No." Roy didn't even hesitate to answer, having made up his mind earlier that day about the matter. "We need to get back to my team, and get Ed back to Central. We'll send a group here to take care of the murderer."

"We don't want the military in this town." Fu's face hardened, his eyes boring into Mustangs. "They kill without reason. If you don't want to help us after we saved your wife's life, then that's fine by me, just keep your military to yourself."

Roy stared at the man, shock plastered all over his face. "My... Edward isn't my wife, Fu. What made you think she's my wife?"

"You never left her side…"

A rumble escaped his lips as Roy let out a loud laugh. Ed, his wife? How ridiculous. Not only was she his subordinate, but she would surely kill him rather than marry him. Hell, before the ambush in Fenief, he wasn't even aware that she was a woman. The thought of being married to her…

"It doesn't matter what your relationship is to the girl," Fu carried on, his eyes still hard. "We don't want the military in our town."

Roy shook his head as he headed towards the door. He couldn't get his mind back on track, still thinking of Edward as his wife. "We'll discuss this again in the morning, then. Thank you for the food."

The door slammed shut behind Roy, leaving him stood in the road, as the last rays of light shone through the branches of the trees, the image of Edward in a white dress still playing in Roy's mind. He bit his lip, committing the image to his memory.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was hard to write for some reason, and I have to apologize if it's a bit boring. It's one of those chapters that's important to the story but so uneventful. The next one will be better I promise. And I'll try to post the next chapter on time this time. Remember to review and feel free to PM me with any questions or just to chat :3**


	4. Tensions

**Authors note: On time this time, like promised. Enjoy :3**

* * *

Roy stood in the doorway as the sunlight cast brilliant rays of light on Ed's face while she slept, her golden hair framing her peaceful face. He couldn't say how long he had been standing there, watching her, but he didn't want to move. It has been almost a week since the night she was shot, and since then Roy had begun noticing how different he felt around her. Admitting that he had been feeling different around her as the years carried on wasn't something he allowed himself to do, refusing to believe that he felt anything for his younger male subordinate, being such a womanizer and all. But now those excuses seemed almost ridiculous. Just how long had he felt like this around Edward and not noticed?

Roy held his breath as Edward sighed in her sleep, her auto-mail arm hanging over the side of the bed. She was beautiful, even when she slept. Roy had to fight the urge to move the stray stand of hair that hung in her face, his fingers twitching involuntarily. After dinner last night, she had retreated to her bed, a soft snore escaping her room shortly afterwards. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had stood in the doorway and watched her sleep as moonlight hit her face; much like the sun was now. Roy couldn't stop himself from watching her. Only five days ago his heart was in pieces as he held her dead body in his arms. And now she lay a few feet from him, an energetic spitfire that was going to give him a headache when she finally woke up. And honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Roy headed into the kitchen, deciding to boil some water for the tea Fu had kindly included in the veggie basket yesterday. The valve on the gas canister let out an involuntary croak as he turned it, before snapping his fingers, the spark igniting the gas, the kettle already in place on the stove burner. Roy stood against the counter as his eyes scanned over the living room again. Ed had cleaned the house while he had been gone, and it looked good. Almost homey, he had to admit. The couch stood in front of the fireplace, a small table in front of it, and an empty vase in the middle. The only evidence that they had eaten there last night was the half-filled glass of water on the edge of the table.

They had barely spoken after Roy had teased her about how womanly it had been of her to clean the place, joking about how she would make a great wife. Of course, Ed had snapped back at him, calling him sexist, before going quiet, refusing to even acknowledge him the rest of the evening. He regretted saying it the moment it left his lips – _Damn that Fu for putting the image of Ed in a white dress in his head_ – but he didn't apologise. He had to make sure to do that today, as soon as she woke up. The silence was already deafening, he didn't want to spend the day without her talking to him as well.

Roy's thoughts were interrupted as the kettle let out a shrill whistle, letting him know the water was ready. Closing the valve again, he poured water into the two cups, placing the kettle back on the burner. His finger twisted around the string the tea bag was attached to, moving it up and down in the cup, his free hand running through his black hair, a sigh escaping his lips. As much as he loved watching her sleep, he would have to wake her up now, so they can get back to Fu's place. Roy placed the used bag into the empty cup on the counter, before tugging the second bag from his cup as well, depositing it in the same place. His hands curled around both cups, the heat penetrating his gloves, but not enough to burn.

Roy stopped in her doorway to watch her again. She had turned on her back, her human hand sprawled across her stomach, the shirt pulled up to just under her breasts, the bandages barely visible. Her mouth hung open as she snored, a strand of her hair hanging on her lips. Again, the urge to move it was there, making his fingers twitch around the cup, almost causing him to drop it. Deciding it best to wake her before he really dropped the cups, he moved closer, placing his cup on the dresser next to her bed, before shaking her gently.

"Edw… Fullmetal, it's time to wake up."

Nothing.

Shaking her a bit harder, he spoke up louder. "Fullmetal, get up."

Again, Nothing. She slept like a log, apparently. Biting his lip, Roy's eyes shifted to her lips, his fingers moving towards it, gently moving the hair from them, his thumb lingering on her bottom lip momentarily, before removing his hand.

"Get up, Shorty!"

"Don't call me short…"

Of course that's what it took to wake her up. Her golden eyes opened slowly as they focused on his onyx ones. With a yawn she sat up, eyeing him suspiciously. Roy handed her the cup, motioning for her to take it with the auto-mail hand, as she complied, taking a sniff, her eyes closed.

"Thanks…"

"No problem, short stack. We need to get to Fu's place, so when you're ready, we'll head out." Roy spoke as he picked up his cup again, taking a cautionary sip, the hot tea burning his tongue. "He should have the autopsy reports ready for us, so we can start figuring out what's going on around here."

Edward nodded, taking a sip of her tea, a soft hum escaping her lips. After a moment of silence, she glanced up at him as she spoke again, her voice still heavy from sleeping. "Do you think he'll have anything that will help us identify the killer?"

He shrugged, his eyes moving to hers for a second, before turning back to the window. "Maybe, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. We'll have to take it one step at a time."

She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it as a knock was heard from the living room door. Roy's brow pinched together in a frown as he moved towards the door, his cup in one hand, the other ready to snap if needed. There was no telling who was there, and since few people knew about them staying there, Roy couldn't help but be suspicious. His hand dropped to his side as he opened the door.

* * *

Edward all but jumped out of her bed as she heard the voice of their visitor, scrambling to get into the bathroom before she was noticed. The door slammed shut behind her as she yanked the bandage from the medicine cabinet, pulling her shirt over her head. With one look at her bandaged wound, she knew what she had to do was going to hurt. The bandage dropped to the floor as she removed it, before using the clean one to flatten her chest out as much as possible, wincing as it tightened around her wound. Inspecting her chest in the mirror, she grabbed her shirt from the floor, pulling it over her head again; satisfied that she looked like her usual self. Ed slipped into her room, pulling her jacket on before grabbing her tea, taking another sip.

"Hello, Chief!" Havoc called as she entered the living room, his usual cigarette hanging on his lips, one sudden breath away from flopping onto the floor.

"Hello Havoc." She nodded, heading into the kitchen to finish her tea.

"As I was saying, we were told we couldn't leave Rayerk until Fullmetal was cleared to travel."

"Any idea on when that will be, Sir?"

"No idea. But shouldn't be too long now." Roy's eyes shifted to her in the kitchen, noticing the sudden lack of certain bumps. They hadn't spoken about why she lied about her gender, and Roy had no intention of ousting her secret until she wanted him to. "Where's the rest of the team?"

"Hawkeye and the rest went to Welosl, and Major Armstrong is currently talking to the townsfolk, the rest of the men with him. Someone called Fu directed us here, so I came to have a look."

"And the bandits?" Ed asked as she stood against the counter, her eyes closed, the cup against her lower lip.

"We took care of them when the reinforcements arrived. Turned out they were a group of rebels from Aerugo that were using Fenief as their base of operations."

"Anyone else hurt?"

"Only you chief."

Edward flinched, the wound an insult for the second time in a week. The cup let out a thud as she put it in the sink, before heading towards the door, suddenly feeling like she was suffocating in the small room. She could feel Mustang's eyes on her as she opened the door, a cold wind assaulting her the moment she stepped outside. Closing the door behind herself, she headed towards the town, her hair whipping in her face as she moved, pulling her coat tighter around herself, the biting cold sending a shiver through her body.

The small town that was usually quiet seemed to suddenly buzz with life, military men moving up and down the road at various speeds. Why they were all here was beyond her. True, she and Mustang had been gone for a while, but surely the moment they knew where they was, there was no more reason to scout the town. Unless, of course, they were looking for something else. Perhaps they were trying to determine whether there were any rebels from Aerugo here as well, it being so close to Fenief.

Maybe the murderer was one of those rebels. Edward's eyes moved from face to face, not really recognizing anyone as she walked down the road, not really knowing where she was headed. She stopped in front of a run-down building, the sign on the door faded by the weather so the only letters that was left was "I" and "Y". Her eyes scanned the windows, spotting a few empty shelves, cobwebs covering most of them. With a shrug she entered the building, the door croaking loudly at the sudden movement. The counter at the front of the shop stood empty except for a large book, dust covering it and the counter it was resting on. Moving over to it, Ed wiped away the dust, reading the page it was open on. "One hundred easy cooking recipes for novice chefs, Lydia."

Her eyes shifted around the building, taking in the stray books lying on the floor. Judging by the book on the counter, this was probably the Library Roy had spoken of. Ed moved over to the pile of books. Picking up the top one, she brushed away the dust, before moving to the next. It didn't take her long to pick out several alchemy books, before heading over to the counter again. After rummaging behind the counter, she pulled out a quill, the pot of ink with it. A quick shake of the bottle confirmed that it was still liquid, and she quickly added the titles of the books she had, with her name, to the tome on the counter. Satisfied, she took her pile of books and headed back to the cottage.

Something was off, she couldn't help but notice. On her way to the library the town had been full of military men and women, and now there was none. Where had they all gone so suddenly? Surely they couldn't all be at the cottage; there wouldn't be enough space for them there. Ed picked up her pace, suddenly painfully aware of how vulnerable she was. She wouldn't be able to fight with her wound, and even if she tried, she'd probably end up back in Fu's house. Edward rounded the corner into the alley that led to the main road, and stopped short, dropping the pile of books she had been carrying with a loud crash.

The girl, probably around eight or nine years old, lay on the ground, her brown hair dirty and clumped around her small face, her eyes closed as she struggled to breathe. Ed rushed over to her, her eyes scanning her body. Sure enough, she was covered in deep gashes, her blood oozing out of each one. The wounds were just like the ones she had seen on the other woman yesterday, and it didn't take Ed long to put two and two together. She dropped to her knees, taking the small girl in her arms carefully.

"Mama…"

"Shhh…" Ed watched as the girl opened her eyes, her green orbs pale and unseeing. Even though she wasn't a doctor, she knew there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to save her. Ed held her as her breathing slowed down, until it stopped. She just sat there, holding her lifeless body, anger and sadness radiating through her. Why would anyone kill this young girl? She had barely had a chance to live her life, and now she never would. Ed gently picked up her body, cradling it against her chest, before moving towards Fu's place, the books she had been carrying before forgotten. It wasn't that far to walk, but it felt like an eternity, every second feeling like it took weeks off of her. By the time she knocked on the door, she felt numb, her eyes not seeing anything other than the small blurry frame in her arms. So when the girl was lifted out of her arms by two strong arms, she barely noticed, just standing in the doorway, her eyes focussed on the ground.

Edward was faintly aware of being moved into the house by a firm hand on her back, and she found herself sitting in a chair in the kitchen. After a while, she had a hot cup of tea in her hands, as voices floated around her. The hand on hers pulled her back to reality, her golden eyes finally focussing on the onyx orbs in front of her, a worried frown having replaced the usual smug smirk on his lips.

"Edward, what happened? Are you hurt?"

She opened her mouth to speak, closing it a second later, unable to find her voice. Instead, she shook her head before lifting her cup to her lips, taking a sip of the tea in hopes that it would bring back her voice.

"This is why we needed the military here!" Roy snapped at Fu who stood at the opposite end of the kitchen.

"They would only have made the situation worse. As far as I'm concerned, having the two of you here is bad enough. This town is in the state it's in because of your precious military." Fu crossed his arms across his chest, glaring at Roy. "I stand by my decision. If you want to stay here until she's ready to be moved, there will be no other military personnel in this town."

"This is ridiculous! At least let my team stay as well."

"She's your subordinate, yes?"

"Yes, Edward is my…"

"Then you have your team."

Roy glared back as he got to his feet, his hand moving to Ed's shoulder. "Now you listen here. We are the military, and we can take this town by force if necessary."

Fu's brow raised in amusement, his eyes shifting to Edward as he spoke. "I dare you to try it, Mustang. See how long she survives in a full-blown rebellion."

Roy's fingers twitched, his other hand tightening on her shoulder, his voice low and threatening. "Are you threatening Edward?"

"No, I am merely stating the obvious. She won't be able to defend herself with her wound, so she might become a casualty in the rebellion. I don't really want to see her fall because of your stubbornness; after all, I saved her life. Wouldn't it be a total waste to have her die because of you?"

"I've had it with you! We will do…"

"Roy…" Her voice cracked as she spoke, making him turn to her instantly. He dropped down low in front of her, his eyes scanning her face as she swallowed hard, before continuing. "We need to catch the murderer. We can't let this bastard continue to kill innocent women." She stared at her hands as she spoke, painfully aware of the tears building up in her eyes as she recalled the little girl. "And if doing this without the military is what it takes, I think we should do it."

Roy watched her for a moment longer, before letting out a defeated sigh. Turning back to Fu, Roy ran his hand through his hair. "Alright, we'll agree that no other military personnel will come to Rayerk, with one exception." Roy held up his hand as Fu started to interrupt him. "I will have one of my subordinates come by the town every three days to report what is going on to me. This is not open to discussion. You either agree to these terms or I will take Rayerk by force."

Fu moved across the room, grabbing a stack of papers and a basket of vegetables that was standing on the table, before handing it to Roy, a scowl across his face. "That will have to do, then. Come back tomorrow for the Autopsy on Michelle. Now get out of my house."

Roy took the basket, the papers already being claimed by Ed, as they moved down the hall, Roy's hand on her back protectively. The door slammed shut behind them, making her look back at it, unsure of what to make with the new hostility towards them. Fu must really hate the military. Roy ran his hand through his hair before moving the down the road, away from their cottage. Ed followed him quietly, her eyes scanning over the papers in her hands.

They continued down the road until it suddenly ended, only woods in front of them. Edward scanned the trees, uncertain of what they were doing there, when she noticed the man against the tree, a cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Brigadier General, sir!" Havoc saluted, his cigarette moving up and down as he spoke. "Can we move back into the town?"

"You are to return to the town every three days with a report. Don't send Hawkeye, I don't want to put her in danger. We don't know anything about the killer yet, but we have to stay put to catch him. No other military personnel are allowed in Rayerk for the time being."

"Sir?"

"I would love to take over the town, but with Fullmetal wounded, it's not a good idea."

"Will the chief be alright if there's this much hostility towards the military? Won't he be in danger?"

Roy sighed as he turned to scan the town behind them, a few villagers moving around, oblivious of what was going on. "Fu won't let anyone hurt Fullmetal, not after he saved his life. As long as we stick to his wishes, that is. So just have everyone stay out of Rayerk, and set up a perimeter around it. Tell Hawkeye that we're alright, and we'll just handle this as a solo mission and get it done as fast as possible. Now get out of here, before word gets back to Fu."

Havoc saluted again, before disappearing back into the woods, leaving the two of them standing there.

* * *

Roy didn't like it one bit. He was used to doing what the higher ups told him to do, but complying with a civilian? It went against his entire being. But at that moment keeping Edward safe was more important than his pride as a military man. True, he could have called in the military and took Rayerk by force, but he knew better than most how hard it was to ensure the safety of anyone when fighting broke out. So for the time being Roy would go with what Fu insisted, at least until Ed was in a better position. Then he'd call in the big guns, take Rayerk by force and weed out the killer all in one go. A smirk crossed his face as he sat on the couch, nursing his cup of tea.

Edward sat across from him, her hair hanging on her shoulders as her fingers ran through it, her eyes focused on the report on her lap. She had been studying it since she got home, but it made even less sense now. There was nothing linking the two victims together. The first was a former florist, aged 27. Blue eyes. Brown Hair. No children. The second was a grandmother. Aged 63. Purple eyes. Black hair. Four children and seven grandchildren. Then there was the small girl she had found this morning. She was probably around 8 years old, with green eyes and brown hair. There was absolutely no common link between any of them. Unless you counted how they were killed. Her eyes scanned over the cause of death, signing. Blood loss from the sixty nine cuts on their body was the cause of death. What kind of psychopath cut someone sixty nine times and left them to bleed out?

Closing her eyes, Ed dropped the papers next to her on the couch before resting her head against the back of her seat, her human hand pinching the bridge of her nose. So many questions ran through her mind, she had trouble keeping up with them all. Why were there rebels from Aerugo, and what where they planning in Fenief? Who was killing all these women and why? What were they still doing in this town, and why had Roy agreed to Fu's terms. Never had she seen him give in that easily. Slowly she opened her eyes, glancing at the man across from her. Roy had his eyes closed, his cup in his one hand, the other resting on the back of the couch. She couldn't help but think that he looked right at home, like they weren't in some remote town, but instead back in his apartment after a pleasant date.

A blush crept onto her cheeks at the thought, making her shake her head before getting up and heading to her room, his eyes following her sudden movement, a frown on his face. She couldn't be thinking of him like that, not now and certainly not ever. He was her commanding officer, for crying out loud. After serving under his command for years, it had become surprisingly easy for her to deny she felt anything but respect and loathing for him, the crush she had on him not existing in her mind. But here, in this quiet little cottage in the middle of nowhere, Ed had some difficulty controlling her thoughts. He was just so frustratingly handsome all the time, and the cottage had such a romantic feel to it.

Edward slipped out of her coat before depositing it on her bed, grabbing the clothes Fu had sent for her yesterday. If she was being honest, she really didn't like the idea of wearing the night wear he had sent, but she had nothing else, the polo neck and pants she was currently in being the only non-dress item she currently owned, and they really needed a wash. Ed headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her before dropping the dress on the counter, turning the tap in the shower, grateful for the warm water as it ran over her hand, before she pulled off her shirt, carefully undoing her bandages. The wound hurt more than it did earlier that day, figuring it was probably due to the stress of the day. After undressing fully, she stepped under the warm water, letting it run over her face, relaxing as it washed away all her thoughts. All except for one. Onyx eyes staring at her, while strong fingers wrapped around hers, protectively.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if Roy and Ed seemed OOC slightly. The more I typed this, the more it felt like they were slipping. Next chapter should be better. Thank you all for the reviews, it makes me so happy :3 feel free to message me with questions :) Until next week.**


	5. Little Tisha

Edward tugged at the hem of the dress as she stood in front of the mirror, her eyes scanning her reflection. After her shower last night, she had retreated to her bedroom, not really wanting mustang to see her like that. But now she had no choice in the matter. He was going to demand she join him for breakfast soon and since her only pair of pants where now hanging on a wire outside, she had no other option than wearing the pink floral dress she currently had on. Turning around while trying to keep an eye on her reflection, Ed felt a pang of nervousness. The dress tied around her neck, her back exposed completely. She was grateful that despite it being winter, the cottage was quite warm, so she didn't feel that cold in the dress. Not that it mattered, since the only clothes Fu had given her were summer dresses. Ed turned so she was facing the mirror again, her fingers tracing the scars around her auto-mail port. They had never really bothered her, mostly covered by her shirts anyway, but somehow being around mustang, in a _dress_, she felt embarrassed about her scars. With a quick scan around her room, she grabbed her red coat, the only piece of clothing mustang had saved for her, and threw it on, successfully covering most of the scars. Her eyes moved to her legs, and she let out a defeated sigh. While she could use her coat to cover up her scars on her shoulder, there was absolutely nothing she could do about the scars on her leg. With one last glance at herself in the mirror – _God she looked weird_ – Ed headed out of her room.

The moment mustang saw her, his jaw dropped open, his eyes wide. It took a moment for him to catch himself and return to his usual self, hiding all emotions behind his carefully practiced mask. All but one emotion, that was. Edward glared at him as his usual smug smile played across his lips, his one eyebrow lifted up in an amused look. That bastard could see how uncomfortable she was, and he was enjoying it! Oh how she would love to slap that smug grin off of his handsome face. That would teach the bastard a lesson about messing with her.

Roy pushed a bowl across the counter towards her, before turning back to the dishes he was currently busy with. Ed moved over to the counter, dropping down in one of the chairs in front of it, grabbing the bowl. She moved the spoon around in the porridge, amazed. When had they gotten porridge?

"Fu sent a pot of porridge over this morning, as well as the autopsy report on the girl you found yesterday." Roy spoke up as if reading her mind, with his back turned to her, scrubbing at the plate in his hand.

Ed dropped the spoon back into the porridge, suddenly sick to her stomach at the mention of the girl. She had dreamed of her, having her die in her arms over and over again while she watched. The very thought of it was enough to make her sick. Ed pushed the bowl away from her, before getting up, heading over to the couch, and dropping down in it, her head resting against the back of it with her eyes closed.

* * *

Roy eyed the untouched food in the bowl before glancing at the girl on the couch, mentally scolding himself for opening his mouth. Of course mentioning the girl would put her off. He had watched her sleep last night after being woken up by the distressed sounds coming from her room. He knew she was having a nightmare about the small girl, but he didn't know what to do. So he settled for watching her while holding her hand until she stopped whimpering and fell into a peaceful sleep again. Roy had no idea of how long that had taken, but when he finally made it back to his room, the sun had begun to tint the world yellow.

Now she sat on the couch, her eyes closed, obviously thinking about the girl, thanks to him. Roy started moving towards the couch when a knock on the door stopped him short. Ed still sat there with her eyes closed, not bothered about their unannounced guest. So he made his way to the door, swinging it open. His eyes scanned the clearing around their cottage, before landing on a pile of books in a small blue wagon. A smile played across his lips as he finally took in the small form in front of him. A little girl stood sheepishly in front of him, her black hair tied in two tiny pigtails, her eyes focused on the ground, a thumb stuck in her mouth.

"Why, hello there little miss. What can I do for you?"

The small girl looked up at him, bright blue eyes meeting onyx, before she looked down at her feet again, a pink blush crossing her cheeks. Roy noticed how her hand tightened around the handle of the wagon slightly.

"Who's at the door?" Ed asked as she stopped behind Roy, making the girl look up again, this time with a bright smile.

"I brought these for you, big sis." She said excitedly, tugging at the wagon. Roy stepped aside as Ed moved closer, a smile on her lips.

"Thank you! I had completely forgotten about those… How did you know they were mine?"

"I saw you carrying them yesterday."

Ed put her hand on her tiny head, making her smile even brighter as she spoke. "Thank you so much."

"What's your name?" Roy asked.

"Tisha." She exclaimed proudly, grinning widely. "I'm five years old, and my big sister Michelle is eight and a half."

Edward reached down to scoop out the books, winching as her wound protested. Stepping closer, Roy took the books from her before moving inside to deposit them, Ed watching him as he moved, her hand resting on top of Tisha's head again. Roy disappeared into her room, so she turned back to the little girl. Her blue eyes stared back at her, a glint in them.

"Big sis, will you play with me? Michelle isn't home to play with me today."

Ed looked around outside, before speaking up "Where's your mother, Tisha? Does she know you're here?"

"Mommy doesn't care what I do during the day," Ed could have sworn she sounded sad, despite the smile on her lips. "As long as I am home by five."

She couldn't help but smile, nodding at the little girl, who jumped up and down excitedly, all shyness forgotten. "What do you want to play?"

Tisha glanced around, suddenly embarrassed. "I forgot my dolls at home."

Roy appeared in the doorway, a couple of aged shirts in his hands, a huge grin on his face. "Fullmetal, turn these into dolls for the two of you."

She thanked him as she grabbed them, dropping them on the ground, smiling at a confused Tisha before slamming her palms together, touching them to the fabric. Tisha let out a gasp as the cloth started glowing, before it started to twist and wriggle, slowly forming the dolls. The little girl grabbed the first doll, inspecting it carefully as she bit her lip, her eyes focusing on every detail. Ed held her breath as she waited for her reaction. When she was young, she and Al had made a similar doll for Winry, but she had cried then, and Ed didn't want Tisha to cry as well. To her relief, Tisha hugged it instead, carrying on about how beautiful it was. Bending down, Ed grabbed the other two dolls, throwing one at a startled Roy, his hands catching it on instinct.

Roy stared at the doll for a second, before glancing at a smirking Edward. "If I have to play with dolls, then you do to, _Sir_."

He ran his hand through his hair, before moving into the living room, dropping down onto the carpet. Tisha ran over as well, wagon completely forgotten, Ed right behind her. The three of them played together, Ed stealing glances at Roy every now and then, amazed at how good he was with the little girl. It was almost like he was right at home with the two of them there, like they had known the little girl all their lives. And then it hit her. Tisha was a lot like Elisia, except for the eyes and hair. When the little girl had gotten over her shyness, she even sounded like Elisia, straight down to the way she called him Uncle Roy.

Ed walked her home later that afternoon, as Tisha hopped next to her, hugging her new doll fondly while holding Ed's hand. The sky was beginning to darken, but Ed barely noticed, instead focusing on Tisha as she carried on about how much fun she had had that day. After a short walk, they stopped in front of a run-down apartment, most of the windows cracked.

"Big sis, will you play with me again tomorrow?" Tisha asked as she squeezed her hand, not wanting to let go. "Maybe Michelle will come too, and then we can all play together…"

"Of course I will, as long as your mother says it is okay." The little girl bounced up and down excitedly at Ed's words, before letting go of her hand. Running up the steps, she stopped in front of her door to look back at Ed as she spoke. "I'll come by in the morning to pick you up, so wait for me, Alright?" Tisha nodded before swinging open the door, disappearing into the building, leaving Ed standing in the road.

Pulling her coat around herself tightly, Ed headed back to the cottage, shivering slightly. While Tisha was next to her, she had barely noticed the cold wind whipping through her hair, but now without the ball of energy to distract her, it became painfully obvious that this winter was going to be a freezing one. Her eyes scanned the horizon as the last flames of light started to die down, making her pick up her pace. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but just like she didn't want Tisha to walk home alone, she didn't want to be alone outside in the dark. They were no closer to figuring out what the murderer wanted, or how he picked his targets, and she didn't want to tempt fate. She was doing enough of that staying in the same building as Mustang.

Biting her lip, she had to admit that the day had been really pleasant. Roy had been an absolute wonder with the little girl, and he had even seemed content. Ed couldn't remember ever seeing Roy look so comfortable. If she had been an outsider, she would have mistaken the three of them for a happy little family. She couldn't help but wonder what he'd be like with his own children. Roy would probably make a wonderful dad. Not like Hughes, of course. He wouldn't carry around stacks of photos and shove them in everyone's face. But he would probably be a proud father, and spoil his children while still being strict. There was no doubt in her mind, his children would become decent people, that even she would be proud of.

A blush crept onto her face at the thought. Pushing open the door of the cottage, she kept her eyes trained on the ground as she made her way to her room. She had to get her sudden embarrassment in check before she faced him. If she had to look into his black eyes right now, she would give away her thoughts, and she wouldn't be able to handle that. To her relief, Roy wasn't in the living room, so she made it to her room without much trouble. Closing her door, she glanced at the pile of books on her bed, having forgotten about them again.

Ed picked up the first one, flipping it open, instantly lost in the pages, all thoughts of a family with Roy, forgotten.

* * *

The fish swung from left to right as he headed back to the cottage, the stars shining brightly above him. Roy was grateful for his luck when it had taken him only fifteen minutes to catch two large fish. Not only would they eat something other than rabbit tonight, but they wouldn't have to eat that late either. They had been so pre-occupied with Tisha that he had completely forgotten about having to catch their own dinner, and figured they would eat rather late. But luck was on his side today. First he got to see Ed completely relaxed, despite the terrible night she had had, and now dinner had fallen so conveniently into his hands with little effort. Running his free hand through his hair, he silently pleaded that luck would come in threes when it was good, as well.

Stopping outside the door, he shook his head, a smile across his face. The two girls had been so completely focused on their conversations when they had left earlier, they forgot Tisha's wagon. Roy pulled it inside behind him, leaving it next to the door on the inside, before heading into the kitchen to dump the fish in the sink. It was suspiciously quiet in the cottage, and for a moment, Roy couldn't help but worry that Edward hadn't made it back yet. Quickly running his hands under the water, Roy headed towards her room, slowly opening the door to peek inside; scared of bothering her if she was there.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he spotted her on her bed, a book open in her hands. She didn't even notice him, instead completely focused on the paragraph she was currently reading. Closing the door behind him, Roy went back into the kitchen. His hands moved on instinct, cleaning the fish before cooking them, as well as a couple of the veggies Fu had sent them. In less than an hour, dinner was ready, a heavenly aroma actually pulling Ed from her book. Roy glanced up as she came out of her room, her eyes fixed on the plates in his hands. Handing her one, he headed to the couch, dropping down in it, their cups of tea already waiting for them.

"Mustang, I've been meaning to ask you something." Ed spoke up as she dropped down in her usual spot, her eyes still focused on the food in her plate.

"What is it, Fullmetal?"

"Where did you learn to cook?" She looked up at him, her eyes fixed on his.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he answered her. "I taught myself. I need to eat and since I live by myself, it became a necessity. Besides, women find men who can cook quite attractive, don't you agree?" Roy couldn't help but smirk as Ed's cheeks brightened, huffing as she stuffed a piece of fish in her mouth. Following suite, they ate in silence, the only sound filling the air was an occasional hum from Edward. Even he had to admit, dinner was exceptionally tasty. Perhaps it was all so much better after the pleasant day they had had.

True, they had done absolutely no work, and if Riza found out, she would undoubtedly threaten to shoot him for being lazy. However, he figured after having so little sleep, they would probably do more harm than good to the case. So when Tisha gave them something else to do, Roy was actually grateful. It didn't hurt one bit that she reminded him so much of Elisia either.

Getting up, Roy grabbed her empty plate before heading into the kitchen, leaving them on the counter for later. Standing against the counter, he watched her as she sat back on the couch, her hand twisted around the cup as it touched her lips, her eyes closed. He stood there for a while, before moving over to the fireplace, slipping on his ignition gloves as he stood in front of the freshly chopped wood. A quick snap of his fingers sent a spark though the air, and seconds later the room was lit by a farm fiery glow.

There was always something spectacularly dreadful about fire. Since it was a constant part of his life, he loved it. But it always brought back memories of the war, and that was something he could really do without. With a sigh he dropped back into the couch, running his hand though his black hair, eyes closed.

"Is everything alright, Mustang?"

Her voice was soft, the complete polar opposite of the Fullmetal he was used to. Opening his eyes, he stared into hers for a second before smiling faintly. "Of course, Fullmetal. I'm just tired. I haven't played with such a little spitfire in a while, so I'm not particularly used to it anymore. Every time I visit Hughes, it's almost bedtime for little Elisia. It's been a long time since I've spent a whole day at their place." Roy stared up at the ceiling, the wood forming patterns where one beam connected to the next. "Perhaps when we get back to central I'll take a day off and spend it at the Hughes's."

"I'm certain Maes will love that. There's probably whole boxes full of photo's he's dying to show you." Ed chuckled as she got up, disappearing down the hall, only to re-appear a minute later, book in her hand. Dropping down into her usual spot, she flipped it open to the bookmark, eyes moving as she took in each word.

He watched her read for most of the evening, to comfortable to even think of doing anything else. The fire was heating up the cottage nicely, giving it an even homier feel. At that moment, he wished he could stop time; make the fire burn forever, just so the moment wouldn't pass. But stopping time wasn't in his list of capabilities. So when the fire started to die down, and evening turned to midnight, Ed retreated to her room, leaving him still sat on the couch.

* * *

Edward sat up with a start, eyes frantically searching for the sound she had heard. It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the dark, but when the sound ran through the house again, she immediately knew it wasn't in her room. It was coming from Roy's. Feet hitting the floor, she flung herself out of bed, stopping only to grab her coat as the cold bit into her skin. Pulling the coat around her, not bothering to put it on properly, she turned her auto-mail arm into its usual blade before she opened his bedroom door, peeking inside carefully. Whatever was there could hurt Mustang if she startled it, so she decided being careful was better than being sorry.

Her eyes scanned the room, searching for the perpetrator. Another sound pulled her attention to the bed. There lay Roy, his face pulled into a frown as sweat ran down his brow, his breathing ragged and labored. It hit her, making her move closer to his bed, returning her auto-mail to normal. He was having a nightmare, and by the sounds of it, it was a particularly bad one. Another groan escaped his lips, making Ed frown. What should she do? If she woke him, he could be pissed, but surely having him pissed at her was better than whatever he was dreaming about. Having made up her mind, Ed placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. After another attempt, she decided to try a bit harder, gripping his shoulder tightly. What happened next she really didn't anticipate.

Roy's eyes flung open, fear evident in them, as he pulled his hand up, snapping his fingers instantly. Edward fell to the ground with a yelp, her auto-mail shoulder glowing red where the fire had hit it. She didn't bother to look at it though, her eyes focused on Roy instead. She lay sprawled on the floor, her coat tangled around her legs, with Roy towering over her, his fingers ready to snap again. There was no hint of recognition in his eyes, like he didn't know her at all.

Edward took a deep breath, before speaking softly. "Roy, it's me, Fullmetal." Roy kept staring at her like she was an enemy. Biting her lip, she tried again. "It's me, Edward. I'm not your enemy. I'm your friend."

Frowning, his shoulders tensed. After a few seconds, his eyes widened with a look of pure horror and disbelief on his face. The ignition glove fell to the floor, Roy falling to his knees in front of Ed a second later, his eyes frantically scanning her face. "Edward, are you alright? Did I hurt you? I am so sorry…"

"It's okay Roy. I'm not hurt at all." She breathed, moving to get up off the floor. But before she could, she felt two strong arms pull her in. Roy had pulled her in to his chest, holding her tightly, his whole body shivering against hers. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening, before she lifted her hand, rubbing his back soothingly. They sat on the floor, Roy holding her against his chest tightly, Ed rubbing his back softly, until his breathing returned to normal, his grip on her loosening slightly. She didn't move though, instead letting him decide when he was calm enough to separate from her, almost wishing he wouldn't. It was so warm in his arms, his heartbeat pounding in his chest in a soothing rhythm that she wished they could stay like that forever. Ed pressed her face into his chest, taking in his smell and committing it to her memories.

After a couple of minutes, Roy pulled away, his hands on her shoulders. His eyes scanned her body up and down slowly, obviously searching for the burns she had sustained from him. Edward pointed to her auto-mail mutely, the lack of his heat suddenly making it nearly impossible for her to breathe, let alone talk, as Roy followed her finger and silently inspected her shoulder for any damage. She waited until he exhaled slowly, finally satisfied that he had in fact not hurt her, before getting up. A shiver ran through her body, the lack of his heat suddenly making her feel freezing cold.

Mustang got to his feet as well, draping her coat around her shoulders before placing his hand on her back. "You should get some more sleep, Fullmetal."

"Will you be alright now?" She asked, turning to him as she reached his bedroom door, a concerned frown on her face when her eyes met pale onyx. The usual spark that was always in his eyes seemed faded, although she wasn't sure if it was just because of the darkness, or if there was something else bothering him.

"I'm fine, I promise. Goodnight Ed."

Ed watched as he closed the door behind her, not sure what to make of it all. Standing there in the dark hallway, she couldn't help but feel like he had just kicked her out of his room, almost like he didn't want her around. With a defeated sigh she headed back to her room, crawling into her bed while shivering. The night was exponentially colder than it had been that afternoon, so she pulled the blanket tighter around herself, wishing that Roy was next to her, keeping her warm.

After the whole episode with Roy, Ed barely got any sleep. She was vaguely aware of drifting in and out of consciousness, every time waking up to her teeth chattering. When she was awake, she couldn't help but try to listen out for any sounds coming from Roy's room. But everything seemed peaceful now, so she would drift off to sleep again, at least for a little while. This carried on for the remainder of the night, until the sun started to rise, casting lines of orange and red into her room. The colors reminded her of Roy, which in turn made her think of his strong arms folding around her, holding her to his strong chest. Closing her eyes, Ed thought of what it would be like to wake up in those strong arms. She fell asleep with the image of him cuddling next to her, his chest moving against her back as he breathed in and out.

Ed woke with a start again, this time painfully aware that the sound was next to her. Holding her breath, she tried to place the sound, unsure what kind of animal would make the noise she was currently listening to. It sounded suspiciously like someone snoring, but that didn't make much sense to her. What animal made a snoring sound? She lay there, trying to place the sound, when she became aware of the heat against her back, as well as the weight around her waist. She was trapped against the creature. Panic rose up in her chest, almost suffocating her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned her head to get a view of the animal that was going to rip her to shreds.

A blush crept across her cheeks at the sight of Mustang, asleep next to her. When had he crawled into the bed with her, and why? She turned around slowly, trying not to wake him up as she did so, until she lay facing him, his arms still resting on her waist. Running her finger across his bottom lip on instinct, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be kissed by him. Edward bit her lip as her eyes took in his face. When he was asleep, he was even more handsome than usual, his features not obscured by the usual scowl or grin that he wore all the time. Now she could see everything, straight down the single gray hair that hung next to his left eye. Her hands moved to his chest slowly, fingers tracing the muscles underneath his shirt. Again she committed them to memory, wanting to remember everything of this intimate moment before it disappeared.

When her eyes returned to his face, her breath caught on her lips, while blushing furiously. Roy was watching her intently, an amused grin on his face, one eyebrow lifted slightly. She was barely aware of his hands moving up her back, until she was pulled into his chest tighter, his lips resting on her forehead. Ed bit her lip hard, drawing blood, as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart before it burst through her chest.

"I hope you don't mind, Fullmetal. I couldn't sleep with all the teeth chattering, so I figured we could share both blankets, instead of freezing to death." His voice purred next to her ear, making her heart beat even faster, her face burning brightly. It was all she could do to shake her head, making him chuckle softly. "Good. If you're uncomfortable, I can let you go…" She instantly shook her head, quite vigorously, before clenching her fist into his chest. Roy took the hint, pulling her as close as he could before resting his chin on her head. They lay there in total silence, and Ed silently thanked a god she didn't believe in for the cold winter.

* * *

**Authors note: I actually loved this chapter, even if it felt a bit all over the place. Love this couple so much :3 Anyway, feel free to leave a review and message me if you have any questions or just feel like having a chat :3 Until next time**


	6. A bad day

**Author's note: There will be a bit of swearing in this chapter, though nothing major. Also, there will be descriptions of violence, so be warned. If you're squeamish, don't read. Enjoy :3**

* * *

Roy walked into the room as Edward pulled her jacket on, still sat on the bed while Lydia carried the old bandages to a bin in the corner of the room. It was plain on Ed's face that she wasn't happy, and he figured it must have been something Fu had said to her. Lydia left the room, only to appear with a sweater and pants in her arms moments later, dropping them at the foot of the bed. Roy glanced between the two women and doctor, perplexed as their sudden foul moods. Ten minutes ago they were all smiles.

"Have you been experiencing any pain?" Fu asked bitterly as he rummaged through the drawer against the wall, not even looking at her while he spoke.

"Once or twice, mostly when I stretch." Ed answered curtly, pulling her braid out from under her coat, before getting up and grabbing the clothes.

"That's normal. Come back in two days to get the stitches removed." Fu moved with them to the door, only stopping momentarily to grab the basket of veggies, shoving it unceremoniously into Roy's arms. The door slammed shut behind them seconds later, leaving Roy standing on the steps, completely confused.

"What the hell happened in that room, Fullmetal?" Roy asked as he caught up to her, as she stomped down the road, clutching the clothes in her hands tightly. "When I left the room so Fu could check on your wound, everything was fine. Is it the wound? Has it not healed properly?"

She glanced at him as she spoke, her voice thick with anger. "The wound is fine. He started questioning me like a common criminal, insisting that we're not doing anything to solve the murders."

"What did he expect? We would have had so much more to work with if he hadn't kicked my team out of the town." Roy growled. True, they had spent a whole day with Tisha yesterday, and Ed had told him that the little girl wanted to spend the day at their place again today, so they would probably get no work done, again. But there wasn't much they could do either way. Firstly, the crime scenes where all contaminated. He had had a look at the first one before, and even he could say without a doubt that too many people had traipsed through the area for him to get any information from it.

Then there was the fact that the second and third victims were found on the street. He had quickly figured out that they had been dumped there after they were attacked, so there wasn't much to go on. He hated to admit it, but they had no choice but to wait for the killer to strike again. Fu had agreed to not have the body moved, so they could assess everything properly. And then there was the little problem of him not really being a detective. True, he had the basic skills to solve most cases, but Maes was the real expert.

Roy followed Ed as she wound through the streets; heading straight for what he could assume was the little girl's house. When they stopped in front of a rundown building, Roy noticed her demeanour had changed. She still seemed unhappy, but the frown she had worn earlier had disappeared, instead replaced with a soft smile. He couldn't help but smile as well. After the previous night, the little girl would be a welcome distraction.

Ed hopped up the couple of stairs, knocking on the door firmly, each one making the door creak, as if it was going to crumble under her touch. After a moment, the door swung open, revealing a pale woman, her black hair hanging around her thin cheekbones in messy clumps. Her pale green eyes scanned Ed for a moment, before pulling open the door fully.

"Can I help you?"

"My name is Ed; I'm here to pick up your daughter." Her hand reached out to the woman, expecting her to shake it. A few seconds later though, she dropped it back to her side, the woman still staring at Ed blankly.

"You're the girl she was talking about last night? I thought you'd be… taller."

Roy let out a chuckle as Ed's muscles tightened, her smile turning into a glare instantly. To his amazement, she didn't fly off the handle though, instead speaking in a rather controlled tone. "Is Tisha home?"

"No. She left about an hour ago, said something about finding her sister." The mother said, before closing the door in Ed's face, making her growl at the door. Ed descended the steps again, stopping next to Roy as she scanned the street.

"I should probably go look for her…"

"Just leave her to it, Fullmetal. She'll come to the cottage when she's found her sister." He ran his hand through his hair as he spoke.

"No, she won't. I told her to wait for me here. So when she gets back, she'll be expecting me to come pick her up." She let out a sigh, handing the clothes she was carrying to him, before moving back down the street they had just come from. "I'll see you later, Mustang." She muttered before getting out of earshot, leaving Roy stood on the spot, a frown on his face as he watched her disappear.

Turning, he headed towards the cottage at a pace that one could almost consider jogging. He would just check if the girl had perhaps decided to head there after having found her sister. If she wasn't there, he'd drop off the stuff and head out to catch up to Ed. It was evident that the little girl had, in fact, not gone to the cottage, as Roy swung open the door moments later, the only sound that of the birds in the treetops. Dropping the basket and clothes on the counter, Roy slammed the door shut behind him again, before jogging towards the town again.

* * *

Ed's eyes scanned the buildings as she walked past them, biting her lip. The wind tugged at her coat, her hair whipping around her face, sending shivers down her spine. The day had been getting colder and colder. Turning down another street, Ed tugged the hem of her polo neck where it had risen to expose her stomach. The streets were all empty, aside from the brave person who occasionally ran across the street to disappear into another building. The smell of soup filled the air as she passed another building, making her stomach growl slightly, suddenly wishing she hadn't skipped breakfast. Though she wouldn't change what she had done for anything. A blush crept onto her cheeks as she recalled lying in Mustangs arms, his chin on her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the smell of soup turned into a different smell, one she had experienced before. Her head snapped from side to side, her breath quickening as her eyes scanned for the source. The smell intensified drastically as she passed an alley, making her stop. Peering into the dark alley, she tried to make out the shape on the ground, willing it to be her imagination. As her foot made contact with the liquid, she instantly knew that it wasn't her imagination at all. She could barely make out the shape in front of her, but she knew it was small.

"M-Mom…" a voice croaked from the figure, making Ed's eyes widened, her breath caught on her lips as she recognized the voice.

"T-Tisha…"

"Big S-Sis…" Ed dropped to the ground, taking her tiny hand in hers. "You came f-for me…" Her voice breathed out, barely audible.

"Shhh, it's okay now. Don't talk." Ed moved her hands underneath the little girl, biting her lip as Tisha groaned in pain. "I'm going to lift you up now, okay? It's going to hurt, very much, but we need to get you to Fu. So bare it, for me, okay?" The little girl nodded slowly, wincing as Ed lifted her up gently, cradling her in her arms. Ed turned on her heels, heading straight towards Fu's. Tisha's breathing became shallower as Ed ran down the street, before stopping in front of the doctor's house. Without a second thought she burst through the doors, calling out Fu's name before heading into the room she had been in earlier that day. Lydia appeared first, a look of horror on her face as she saw the little girl in Ed's arms.

What happened next, Ed wasn't sure. Everything seemed to blur together. She was vaguely aware of the weight in her arms disappearing, before being shoved into the kitchen. At some point, she could have sworn she heard mustang's voice, but she wasn't sure. The only thing she was one hundred percent sure of, was that she was going to find the bastard who hurt this little angel, and rip his throat out.

"What the hell are you two doing in this town?!" Fu's angry voice ran through the house, pulling Ed back to the present. He stood in front of her, waving a glove in her face, dried up blood moving in and out of her vision as it moved.

"Back off, Fu." Mustang growled behind her, making the glove halt its movement, drooping in front of her. "I will say this again, if you hadn't sent away my team, we would have been in a better position to prevent shit like this." His voice deepened threateningly as he spoke. "If you had let the past go, then we could have been in a position to not only protect the people in the town, but also analyze the crime scenes better, bringing us closer to finding the killer. But as it is, I have three contaminated crime scenes, and no men to help me analyze the fourth, thanks to you."

"Are you saying this is my fault?" Fu yelled, making Ed flinch. "I'm not the one wasting my time doing nothing. You and your military are nothing more than useless heaps of shit."

"Now you listen here." Ed turned to Roy, never having heard him use the tone he was currently using. His eyes were hard, fingers strained in the snapping position. If he had had his gloves on, Fu would be little less than a pile of smouldering ash at that moment. "I will not have you insult me, my men or the military. If it wasn't for Ed, I would have taken this town by force days ago."

"I dare you to try it, dog. Now get out of my house."

A strong hand slipped under her arm, pulling her to her feet instantly, though to her surprise, it was gentler than the movement should have been. "I expect the autopsy report this evening."

"Don't order me around, dog. I don't work for you or your shitty military. You will get the report when I'm done with my work." Fu started closing the door, only to stop half way, a thought occurring to him. "Tomorrow when your military contact comes to town, make sure the two of you leave with him. We'll deal with the killer on our own." The door slammed shut as Roy opened his mouth to protest, leaving him glaring at the door. Growling, he headed towards their cottage, his hand still around her arm, pulling her with him as her feet moved on their own.

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What you told me to do, what else?" The man dropped the apple he was inspecting back onto the table next to the others.

"Don't fuck with me, Frank. I told you to wait!" Her voice cracked as she yelled at him, making him shake his head. "I'm not ready yet, and if you keep going like this, we'll have to move to another town to get what I need."

"Can't you just put it on ice?" His fingers ran through his hair, clearly bored of the conversation he was currently having with the woman across the table from him.

"Don't be absurd. Things like that can only stay on ice for a short time. Besides, it's better if it's fresh." Dropping a file on the table in front of him, she got up, moving deeper into the room, her figure barely visible. "I found your next target, but there's a bit of a complication with this one."

"I can handle it." Frank picked up the file, flipping it open, scanning its contents. "She's pretty."

"I need you to practice constraint with this one, Frank. I've never seen any like hers, and I don't want to lose them because you can't control yourself. Do I make myself clear?" Her voice growled from the shadows, though the man she was talking to couldn't care less. He held the picture under the candle light, a soft whistle escaping his lips as he studied his next target's face.

"What's the complication with this one?"

"She's set to leave soon, and once she does, it will become harder to get to her. So we need to get her to stay." He didn't need to see her to know she was smiling. "I'm sure you can figure out some way to keep her here, yes? Without killing her, of course."

The photo dropped to the table, as he sat back in his chair, smiling himself. "I can think of a few ways, yes."

* * *

Roy sat the couch, his hand running through her hair softly as her head lay on his lap. Though Tisha was still alive, the shock of the whole incident had rattled her, so much so that now she lay asleep on his lap. Though, he honestly didn't mind. The autopsy report of the first young girl she had found was in his free hand, his eyes scanning it for anything he might have missed. The picture at the top of the page had the face of a little girl on it, and it looked a lot like little Tisha, though he knew that it would. When she had mentioned she had a sister named Michelle yesterday, Roy had put two and two together, figuring out that the dead girl was her older sister. Figuring that their mother probably didn't have the heart to tell Tisha yet, he had thought it best not to meddle. But now…

Growling, he dropped the paper on the table next to him before running his hand through his hair, his eyes closed. Why did Ed have to be the one to find Tisha? It had been bad enough on her to have found Michelle, but having to see little Tisha like that, especially after becoming attached to her, it was cruel. Sighing, Roy lifted her head gently, as not to wake her, placing a pillow under her head after moving. He knew he had very little time to get to the crime scene before Fu contaminated it. True, he had said that he didn't want their help anymore, but since when did Roy Mustang give a damn about what some civilian said they wanted? Covering her sleeping form with a blanket, Roy glanced at her one more time before leaving the cottage, his hands in his pockets as he headed towards the alley.

The sun hung low in the sky, painting it a bright orange, making it clear he didn't have that much time before night took hold. Though it didn't matter at all. Roy knew there would be very little information to be gained from the scene. Turning into the alley, he stopped short, the smell of blood making it hard to breathe. His eyes scanned the walls slowly, and when he found no blood on the walls at all, he knew that Tisha had been moved here after she was attacked, just as he had thought. Roy let out a heavy sigh as he dropped down to inspect t the ground as well. Even though the smell of blood was heavy in the alley, there wasn't that much on the ground, at least not nearly as much as would have been with the wounds she had sustained from the attack. That could only mean that the killer had only dumped her after he had thought she had lost enough blood to bleed out.

Honestly, if Ed hadn't found her when she had, Tisha would certainly have been dead. As much as he had wished that Ed hadn't seen what she did, if she hadn't, they would have four corpses on their hands. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought, an image of Elisia jumping into his mind for some reason. Shaking his head, Roy got to his feet again, scanning the alley one last time, looking for anything out of the ordinary. But there was absolutely nothing. The killer was exceptionally experienced, and it really bothered him. Biting his lip, he headed back to the cottage, the sun fading into darkness behind him. The only thing he could hope for now was that Hughes would show up tomorrow instead of Havoc. Not that it mattered at all. Roy will have Ed secured the moment his subordinate arrives, and then he will order his men to move in and take the town by force.

Roy opened the door to the cottage, closing it behind him before moving into the kitchen to start dinner. After the day she had had, Roy figured he should skip the meat, instead opting for a nice vegetable soup. Getting everything ready and boiling, he moved back to the couch, only to notice Ed wasn't sleeping on it anymore, the blanket also gone. With a shrug, Roy dropped down onto the couch, figuring she had probably moved to her room after she woke up. He closed his eyes, deciding to take a short nap while waiting for their dinner to finish.

Onyx eyes flew open as the smell of soup filled his senses. Stretching as he got up, Roy moved over to the pot, turning off the gas after making sure it was ready. Moments later he opened her bedroom door, peeking inside with the bowl of soup in his hands. His eyes scanned her room slowly, a frown crossing his brow, his hands tightening around the bowl.

* * *

Ed slowly became aware of the sharp pain in her shoulder as she woke up, shifting uncomfortably. Her eyes slowly slid open, scanning the room around her. Wasn't she just on the couch in the living room? Her eyes took in the table in the middle of the room, much higher than it should have been from the couch. Eyes flying open fully, it hit her. She wasn't on the couch anymore; instead she lay on the ground, cold cement under her shoulder. Try as she might, she couldn't get her arms to move either, figuring she was probably tied up. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she scanned the room once more, trying to figure out where she was. The only light in the room was a single candle on the table. Ed couldn't make out anything else in the room, but she figured from the sound of dripping, there was water nearby, the cold seeping into the room making the pain in her shoulder sharper by the second.

Biting her lip, she pushed onto her back, turning around to scan behind her. The room wasn't very big, she realized, as her eyes met another wall not even a foot from her. Turning back to the table, she started to sit upright, stopping halfway as she heard footsteps heading towards her. They weren't in the same room as her though, so she lay back down, closing her eyes. Perhaps if she pretended to still be asleep, she could figure out what they wanted with her.

"… Her up now." A male voice echoed through the room as the door opened, midway through his sentence. The footsteps halted inches from her, the only other sound in the room the dripping. After a few tense seconds, however, Ed howled out in pain as a steel tipped foot connected with her stomach. "Time to stop pretending to be asleep, princess."

Her eyes flung open, a growl on her lips as she looked up at her attacker. To her disappointment, all she could see was two white eyes in a sea of black cloth. The bastard didn't even have the decency to show her his face. Another kick to her stomach made her howl out in pain again, as the man growled at her. "Don't look at me like that, princess."

"Wha-what do you want?" Ed breathed out, her hands clenching into fists as the pain radiated through her body.

"We want what you have. Don't worry, princess, you won't die today." The man bent down close to her face, his fingers running through her hair fondly, making her jerk back on instinct. "Though when I'm done with you, you will wish that you were dead. Now, let's get started, shall we?" She watched as he got up again, turning his head to the side before speaking over his shoulder. "Is everything ready yet?"

"Just…" Metal hit the table with a loud thud, before the voice continued, "There we go. Everything is ready now."

"Good." The man purred, reaching down to her, his fingers running through her hair again. This time though, pain followed it shortly as she was pulled up by her golden hair, clumps being pulled from her flesh, while the most of it only caused major pain as she was flung towards the table. The man chuckled as he moved the hair that had been ripped from her scalp towards his nose, taking a sniff while purring. "You smell so good, princess. Such a shame I can't keep you. Oh well, at least I get to have my fun with you…"

Edward watched in horror as the other man dragged her onto the table properly, chains attaching to the restraints around her hands, before he moved to her legs, clamping them tightly against the table. On instinct she struggled to get lose, making the man laugh even more, obviously enjoying it. "Please, princess, struggle as much as you can. I enjoy it when my toys fight back; it makes it all so much more interesting." He moved closer, his fingers still tightly wrapped around the hair in his hand. Taking another sniff, he tucked it into his pocket, patting it once for good measure, before picking up something from the table next to her. She didn't have to wonder what it was for long though, as the blade moved into her field of vision, the man smirking at her. "Now, princess, where shall we start? Perhaps I'll start slow, take one of your toes. What do you think?'

"Fuck you…" Ed spat out, howling in pain as the blade connected with her leg seconds later.

"Is that really any way to talk to me? Show some respect, you brat." The blade moved out of her flesh, blood pooling from the wound, dripping on the floor to echo the sound of the water. Ed glared at her attacker as he licked the blade, purring again. "God, you even taste good. How does she expect me to control myself around you?" The blade pressed against her stomach, the tip biting into her flesh, making her bite her lip in pain. Slowly, he moved the blade up, cutting her shirt as it moved, exposing more of her skin. A soft chuckle escaped the crazed man's lips as her shirt fell open, the only thing keeping her breasts hidden, the bandage that Lydia had applied earlier that day. The blade tugged at the flimsy material, as Ed wished for Roy to save her from what was surely coming next.

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**A/N: I figured I'd stop here, as evil as it might be. I don't want to carry on with the details now, and I don't really want to have to up my rating either. Now the fun can really start *evil grin* Also, this is a bit early, but I was just so excited to get this out there, I couldn't help myself. The next chapter should be out Saturday or Sunday, since this one is early :3 Remember to review, and message me with any questions. Until next time ;3**


	7. Less Than Twelve

**Authors Note: Thank you all so much for your wonderful support. I am truly honoured by all your wonderful reviews and messages of encouragement. I can honestly say I wouldn't still be writing this if it wasn't for you guys. Hontou ni Arigatou Gozaimasu! You guys are all awesome :3 Again, this chapter might be a bit graphic, so if you're squeamish, don't read.  
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Ed opened her eyes slowly, silently willing herself to be in her bed in the cottage, instead of on the floor of the cold room. The sound of water was the first hint that she was still in the nightmare. The second hint drowned out the first rather quickly though, the pain in her leg taking over all her other senses. A moan escaped her lips as she shifted, the movement almost proving to be more than she can handle in her current state. Ed wasn't sure of how long she had been out for, the room she was currently lying in had no windows at all, and they had even gone as far as to remove the candle too, leaving her in complete and utter darkness. Slowly, she forced the pain in her leg out of her mind, trying to recall what had happened before she passed out. The sick bastard had cut open her shirt, but didn't stop there. She could feel the cold cement under her bare chest, making it hard to breathe.

After that he had proceeded to cut her in various areas, the most painful of which had to be the deep gash in her leg. She didn't even try to move her leg, knowing full well that the pain of the movement would cause her to lose consciousness again. The real question in her mind was what he had done to her after she had passed out from the pain. Edward forced herself to sit upright, ignoring the pain in both her leg and her chest as she did so. To her relief, her pants were intact, aside from the holes where the blade had penetrated her skin. Ed knew she was a strong woman, but even thinking about what could have happened made her blanch. Slowly she inspected her body in the dark, her arm moving ever so slightly as her fingers ran over her skin, stinging pain shooting through her body every time she touched a cut. Biting her lip to stop herself from screaming out in pain, she moved her arm more, the deep gash in her shoulder sending blinding pain through her body, almost making her lose consciousness again.

Taking a deep ragged breath, Ed moved her fingers up her body, her thumb gently trailing the cut that ran from her navel to her throat. Luckily, it wasn't that deep, so it would probably heal without leaving any scars. If she ever made it out of here alive, that was. Sure, the man had said that he wasn't going to kill her, but she had little faith in his words. As her hand trailed the cut across her cheek, another realization hit her, making her jerk her arm in front of her, sending another wave of pain through her body. They had left her arms untied! Without wasting another second, she forced herself to her feet, the pain of the movement making her stagger as she pressed against the wall for support. She had no idea where she was, or if her attackers were still there or not, but if she had any chance to get away, now would be it.

Slamming her palms together, she pressed them against the door, making it form an archway instead. Ed moved through it as fast as she could, which most people would class as a shamble, until she reached a set of stairs. So she was in a basement, just as she had guessed. Biting her lip hard, she started making her way up the steps, moving one foot at a time, a sharp pain radiating through her whole body with each movement. Just as she reached the top step though, the door in front of her swung open, revealing a blonde man with a black piece of cloth in his hands, his ragged face twisted in a look of pure disbelief. She had no time to think, so she flung her body forward, hoping to catch the man off guard. To her disappointment, her stomach made contact to the heel of his boot instead, as the force of the kick sent her tumbling backwards, rolling down the stairs that had taken so much effort to climb.

Ed could barely make out the man's voice as he descended the steps as well, before darkness took hold of her, the last words in her ears the sickening nickname he had chosen for her.

* * *

Roy sat on the chair, his knee bouncing furiously as he clenched his hands into tight fists. He would much rather be out there searching for Ed than sit here and listen to Hughes talk, even if it was about a search strategy. He had to admit, their timing could not have been better. Havoc showed up at the door of the cottage just as he had swung it open, having only briefly returned to check the cottage again, in case she had just gone for a walk. Havoc had started to explain why he was there early, but had stopped short when he saw the look on his Commanding officer's face. After that, it took them less than half an hour to have his whole team assembled in the cottage. Hughes was also there, as he had guessed he would be, but he was surprised when Al also showed up with Riza. Though he didn't have time to scold the young alchemist about how he wasn't ready to travel so far yet, his mind preoccupied with his missing sister instead.

The sun started casting bright rays of light across the sky as they searched the streets in their designated groups. Roy ran through the alley, Riza and Hughes short on his heels, as his head snapped in different directions, his eyes frantically scanning each building. Hughes was carrying on about something to do with the murder victims, but Roy wasn't paying attention at all. The only thing he could think of was finding her before she became another corpse. His pace slowed slightly as he felt the panic attack threaten to take hold, instead forcing it down with a deep breath, before increasing his pace again. Right now was not the time to think about losing her, not if he had any chance of keeping himself together long enough to find her.

Roy stopped in front of the building they were going to search first. It was a rather run down building, no sign that anyone had entered it in years. His eyes moved to Hughes as he spoke.

"As far as I could tell, the victims were tortured in an enclosed space, where there was no fresh air or wind. If there had been, more particulates would have been found in the wounds..."

"And this is one of the four buildings in this town with a basement, I know. Let's move…" Roy started, but stopped as Riza's hand touched his shoulder, her eyes stern.

"Sir, we need to do this quietly. If Edward is in this building, and they hear us coming, they might outright kill him."

He growled, though he knew she had a point. With a defeated sigh, he nodded once, before nudging the door open slowly. It creaked involuntarily, making Roy bite his lip hard. With steady movements they headed deeper into the house, eyes scanning for any sign of life. A thick layer of dust coated everything, filling him with a deep sense of dread. Surely if they had brought her here, there wouldn't be this much dust? He watched as Hughes moved past him, headed straight for what should have been the basement. But to their disappointment, it was no longer there. Instead, a huge hole sat in the middle of the house's ceiling, debris taking up the space that would have been a basement. Undoubtedly the roof had collapsed, filling the basement with large chunks of whatever the ceiling had been made of.

Hughes pulled the map out of his pocket, flipping it open as Roy snapped his fingers, setting fire to a piece of the support beam that lay on the ground. The light of the flames flickered across the map, lighting up their next target, four blocks from their current position. He didn't wait for Hughes to put the map away again as he sprinted out of the building, Riza on his heels. As they rounded the corner, he could vaguely make out the shapes of Breda, Fuery and Havoc disappearing into another alley. It seemed like their first target had also yielded no Ed. Hughes caught up to them as they darted down another alley, stopping in front of their next target.

Roy had a feeling that she was here. A faintest flicker of light could be seen through the dark windows, coming from somewhere deep inside. Riza followed his eyes, before taking the safety off of her gun. Who-ever was in here was going to pay for taking Ed, no matter what anybody said. Hughes placed his hand on the door, nodding at them once before pushing it open slightly, just enough for Hawkeye to see inside. Her eyes darted around as she scanned the room, before motioning to them to enter. The smell of blood hit his nostrils, making him gag involuntary. Roy wasn't squeamish, not in the slightest, but even to him the smell of this much blood was moved deeper into the house, his fingers ready to snap at the slightest movement.

The light he had seen from the window had come from a single candle burning on a table at the back of the house. His eyes scanned the room as he moved, though it was pretty clear that no-one was there. Hughes walked past him, only to stop in front of a door against the wall at the back. Roy waited for him to open it, Riza bringing the candle with her from the table, the light flickering off of the stone walls as they descended the blood-stained stairs. Roy knew the blood was still fresh as his footsteps made gut-wrenching sounds with each movement. He forced the bile that was building up in his throat down again, as Riza handed the candle over to Hughes, moving ahead of both men, her gun ready to fire if necessary.

The candle flickered as Roy moved past her, passing through the archway as it led to a small room. His breath caught on his lips when his eyes took in the form sprawled across a table in the middle. Ed lay on her stomach, her back completely exposed to the cold air. Roy wasted no time to pull off his coat, draping it over her form gently, covering as much as he could while Riza stood guard at the entrance. The sick bastard that had hurt Ed had probably fled the moment he had heard them coming down the stairs.

"We need to get Ed to a doctor." Hughes's voice ran through the basement, the sudden sound echoing off of the empty walls. "Roy, do you think you can carry him?"

Roy nodded mutely, as he carefully turned her around while moving his coat to cover what he could, before lifting her into his arms. Her body felt cold and limp, reminding him of the night they had come to this cursed town. Hissing, he sprinted down the hallway, up the stairs and out of the building, leaving his two subordinates behind, the only thought in his mind that of saving her life.

* * *

Ed became vaguely aware of the heat against her cheek, but she didn't dare open her eyes, certain that it was all a figment of her imagination. The smell of sweat and smoke filled her nose, reminding her of the man she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Even when she was still considered a child, she had had feelings for him, though she knew nothing would ever come from it. Over the years they had become stronger and stronger, a simple childish crush turning into a teenage love fantasy. Until the day she had seen him go on a date with another woman, as she sat with her brother in the same restaurant, Al enjoying the sensation of eating again, tasting everything on his list. Ed couldn't explain why, but when Roy had draped his arm around the woman's shoulder, Ed had had the strong urge to walk over to their table and pour her drink over his smug face. That's when she realized it wasn't just a crush, but had instead blossomed into a full blown unreciprocated love. Though she would never tell him, it would only make him more insufferable to work for.

Slowly she became aware of the voices floating around her, again putting it down as her imagination. First of all, there was no way this many of Mustang's men where here, since they had made an agreement with Fu. Second, there was absolutely no way in hell that Al would be in this rundown town. He was still in therapy, and doctors were unhappy with him travelling to Resembool as much as he did, so a remote little town like Rayerk was definitely out of the question. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain radiating from the centre of her back, as each cut on her body slowly became a beast of its own, sending pulse after pulse of pain through her small frame.

The heat left her cheek as she groaned in pain, leaving her feeling more vulnerable than she ever had been; the smell of smoke disappearing with it. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to try and reach for the sensation again, instead lying as still as she could. Hands moved over her body, liquid spilling into each cut one by one, making her scream out in pain. With all the force she could gather, she flung out her auto-mail arm, it connecting with flesh as her attacker flew backwards. It only made things worse, she realized, as a needle pressed into her neck, a cold liquid filling her veins, darkness following it moments later as she slipped back out of consciousness, leaving her to the mercy of the deranged man.

* * *

"Is he going to be alright, Sir?" Fuery asked as he watched Roy leave the room he had just been in. Roy was silently grateful when he had found her on her stomach, and he had wasted no time to drape his coat around her frame, hiding her exposed breasts. As silly as it sounded, he didn't want her secret to be common knowledge just because he was too pathetic to protect her properly.

"I don't know. Fu is with Ed right now, and he'll probably fill us in soon." He ran his hand through his hair as he spoke; only realizing too late that it was covered in her blood. Growling at his own stupidity, he moved into the bathroom to clean himself up. Roy stood in front of the mirror, his black eyes scanning his face slowly while silently scolding himself. If it hadn't been for him, Ed would be safe and sound in Central right now. But instead he bowed down to a civilian's demands, spent a day with a kid instead of trying to find the killer, and had a nap while Ed was in their clutches. His hand tightened its grip on the sink, his knuckles turning white. If she made it through this, he would distance himself from her. He was a danger to her life, his stupid mistakes putting her in harm's way twice in a week.

Roy ran his wet hands through his hair until he had gotten most of her blood out of it. With one last glance in the mirror, he left the bathroom again, walking into the living room In the middle of their conversation. From the sounds of things, Riza was comforting a distraught Alphonse, while Havoc, Breda and Hughes discussed the case, Falman and Fuery listening intently. Roy dropped down into the couch, closing his eyes. He could faintly hear their discussion, but he didn't bother paying attention, instead thinking of the girl in the other room. Less than twenty four hours ago she had been in his arms, as they lay on the same bed, sharing their heat in the cold winter air. Now she lay on a bed alone, her life slipping through his fingers again. Was he really that much of a failure?

Just as it had been less than a day since he had held her, so had it been less than a day since he had almost killed her himself, having snapped his fingers at her. True, he hadn't meant to do it, still in the nightmare where he was back in the war. But he should have realized that he had forgotten to take off his gloves, and he should have recognized her face. He had been truly grateful for her fast reaction, his flames only having hit her metal arm. Still, he lay in his bed listening to her shiver in her room, hating him for almost hurting her. Thanks to his incompetence Edward lay in the next room, hurt badly.

"Roy, are you listening to me?" Hughes's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, his eyes slowly opening to meet that of his friend.

"What?" His voice was flat, though he didn't mean for it to be.

"I know what you're thinking, and you better stop right now."

"What are you talking about?" Roy's eyes scanned the room slowly; grateful to see that the only other person left in the room was a sleeping Al.

"None of this was your fault. You did the best you could under the circumstances, and no one would have guessed that the killer would go after Edward. So far he had only been targeting women, so why he had gone after Ed is beyond me. So stop blaming yourself."

Roy stared at his friend for a moment, before closing his eyes again, pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke. "Where did everyone go?"

Hughes got up from his seat as he spoke, moving towards the door. "We're all taking care of the area where they had kept Edward. Since all of us are busy, you're in charge of protecting Ed and Al for now."

"Wait!" Hughes turned to him, his hand on the door as Roy stood in the middle of the living room, suddenly on his feet. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be in charge of Edwards's protection. He's in the position he's in now because I failed to protect him before."

"Get over yourself, Roy. He's in the position he's in right now because there's a psychopath out there that we need to catch. Suck it up and be the man I know you are. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Hughes disappeared through the door, closing it behind him, rendering Roy's argument mute. He stood there staring at the door for what felt like an eternity, before a hand on his shoulder pulled him back to the present.

"Can I talk to you?" Fu asked, though he didn't wait for his response, disappearing into the room Ed was currently in. Roy followed him mutely, his eyes falling on her still form as he entered the room. Fu stood next to her bed, his hand on an empty chair next to it, motioning for him to sit down. Roy did so, not taking his eyes off of her as he moved. "She's going to be okay, Mustang. You had brought her here just in time. She had sustained multiple injuries, the worst of which is a fractured rib and broken leg. It also looks like she might have a slight concussion. I don't know what could have caused it, but I have a suspicion that she sustained all three injuries at the same time. She should wake up soon, but she will be in immense pain. Because of her concussion, I don't want to keep her under more than what is absolutely necessary." Fu moved towards the door, only stopping to speak over his shoulder. "When she wakes up, you are going to have to calm her down. She needs to refrain from moving around for a while."

Roy nodded, his hand holding hers delicately. Fu left him alone with her, and a sense of fear filled him. Roy knew that it wasn't rational, but since they had spent so much time together she had gotten hurt. The only conclusion in his mind was that he was the cause of her pain. And Roy Mustang didn't want to cause any more pain to the woman he had fallen in love with.

* * *

"Are you a complete moron?!" Her voice ran through the dark house, making him flinch. He was no coward, but she could truly be a terrifying woman when she wanted to be. She stood towering above him, the knife in her hand trembling as she struggled to contain her rage.

"You told me to find a way to keep her here, so that's what I did!"

"I meant for you to arrange for an accident, maybe. But kidnapping her and torturing her? What did you think would happen?" The knife cut through the fish on the cutting board with little resistance, before cluttering to the counter, as she picked up the file that lay on the table.

"How was I supposed to know they would call in military reinforcements?" Frank picked up the same apple he had inspected the day before, his callused fingers running over the imperfections slowly.

"Did you even bother to read the file? She's a dog of the military; of course they would call in reinforcements." The file she had been waving in front of his face fell onto the table, the photo of the gorgeous girl spilling from it, pulling his attention. He couldn't help but lick his lips, wishing he still had her in his basement. To his disappointment, he hadn't had nearly enough time with her before the military was spotted heading towards the house.

"What does it matter anyway? She's not going anywhere, so you have time to prepare. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It's going to be nearly impossible to get near her now, you imbecile. Now she's got seven guards and one civilian protecting her instead of just the one incompetent military fool."

"I can handle them easy enough." Frank scoffed, earning him a glare from the furious woman in front of him. "Look, you just tell me when you're ready for her, and I'll take care of the rest. Now, if you don't mind, I've got to find a new base of operations before tonight."

The mad stopped at the door as she spoke again, her voice threateningly quiet. "If you screw up like this again, Frank, I'll make sure you are the next corpse those military dogs find on the street, are we clear?"

"Crystal."

* * *

Slowly Ed opened her eyes, only to close them again instantly as the bright light in the room assaulted her senses. She was vaguely aware of a throbbing pain coming from her body, but she couldn't place the pain, her mind refusing to focus on anything as the drug lingered in her system. Ed wasn't sure what her attacker had done to her this time, it being the third time she had lost consciousness since she woke up in that room. Slowly she became aware of the heat surrounding her body, sending a new wave of panic through her foggy mind. Perhaps they had decided that torturing her with the cold wasn't nearly as effective as using heat would be. Had they figured out that she had feelings for a certain flame alchemist? Where they going to make her fear the heat that represented one man in her mind? With a shudder she opened her eyes again, squinting as she tried to force her eyes to adjust. She needed to know where they had moved her to, and what the heat around her was coming from.

Her vision slowly adjusted to the brightness, her mind clearing up as the last of the drug wore off. Unfortunately, she realized too late that the drug had masked most of the pain, as a sharp wave of pain shot through her body, making her arch her back, trying in vain to distance herself from whatever was pressing against her back. The movement sent another wave of pain through her body, forcing her back onto whatever she was lying on. Wave after wave of pain coursed through her body, each one intensified when she tried to reposition herself.

"Edward, stop moving!"

She froze as she recognized the voice, her pain instantly forgotten, if only for a moment. She didn't need to see him to know who he was. There was only one man with a deep voice that could pull her from the excruciating pain that was coursing through her every vein. Ed turned her head in the direction it was coming from; her golden orbs meeting wide onyx ones, a frown on his face that usually carried a smug smirk. Her eyes bore into his, but she closed them when another wave shot through her back, arching it instinctively, as if the motion would reduce the pain.

"You need to stop moving, or you're just going to hurt yourself even more." His voice calmed her pain again, though less than it had done the first time. She became aware of her hand in his, clenching it tightly. After another moment of silence, the pain intensified again, making her moan, straining to keep her body from moving again.

"Speak!" Ed rasped; her voice hoarse with pain. "It… It helps…"

Roy stared at her for a moment, before realizing what she was saying, instantly doing as she had asked. "You're going to be alright, Edward. Al is in the next room as well, if you want me to go call him…" Her hand tightened around his, giving him his answer. At that moment, if he was to let go, she would surely lose consciousness again. He was her anchor to reality, her shield from the pain. Edward listened as Roy spoke to her, his words soothing and encouraging, his voice gentle and concerned. She forced herself to concentrate on the sound next to her, instead of the intense burning that radiated through every cell in her body.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if Roy seemed OOC slightly, but I had to portray him the way I did. I know Ed wasn't in that basement long, but there's a good reason for it, so bare with me. Lastly, I feel I need to explain this before I get a lot of questions. The only people who knows Ed's true gender is Roy, Al and obviously Ed. That's why she is sometimes referred to as him/he. Remember to review and message me if you have any questions or comments. Until next time :3**


	8. Remembering Pain

**Author's note: This chapter contains descriptions of torture, as well as the tools used to accomplish this. If you're squeamish, don't read this chapter. I tried to keep it as mild as possible. **

* * *

Ed growled softly as another wave of pain coursed through her body, biting her lip to keep from screaming instead. Roy had finally drifted off to sleep, his head resting on her hand, the sensation of his skin against hers the only thing still keeping her anchored to reality. She, however, couldn't fall asleep at all. Every time she closed her eyes, she would feel panic rise up in her chest, suddenly feeling like she was back in that dark room. So she would open her eyes, her body tensing at the mere thought of it all, which caused another wave of pain to course through her.

Fu had come to check on her a few times, every time apologising to her profusely for not giving her something to dull the pain. She had apparently suffered a concussion when she rolled down the stairs, and until Fu was certain she would be alright, she had to endure the pain. And if she was being honest, she really didn't mind. True, the pain was excruciating, but she had felt a similar pain before, when she had gotten her auto-mail. The biggest difference between the two was the fact that her current pain was all over her body. Clenching her jaw as another wave hit, she forced herself to take deep breaths, riding the pain like a wave until it subsided. Her head snapped to the side as the door creaked open, a sense of panic rising up in her throat like bile.

"Brother, are you awake?"

"Al…" She breathed, her eyes focused on her younger brother's form as he moved closer. "Al, what are you doing here?"

"When I heard you had gone missing with the Brigadier General, I got on the first train to Fenief. I couldn't stay in central knowing you were in danger…"

"But Al, you shouldn't be travelling…"

"I couldn't stay in Central." His voice cracked as he stroked her hair fondly, tears welling up in his eyes. "This happened because I wasn't here to protect you…"

"No Al, this happened because I was too weak to protect myself. None of this is your fault." Ed moved her hand from underneath Roy's face gently as to not wake him, Al taking it in his hands instead, pressing it against his cheek. "I'm so sorry if I made you worry, Al. But I'm fine now, I'm going to be perfectly fine, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

Ed bit her lip hard as Al suddenly hugged her, sending a wave of pain shooting through her body. Determined not to show it though, she wrapped her arms around him as he cried in her neck, his tears running down her flesh, burning as it made contact with the gashes in her skin. She held him until his crying slowed, his grip on her loosening as he drifted off to sleep as well. The whole situation was undoubtedly putting a lot of strain on him, tiring him out quickly as his senses overflowed with new emotions and experiences he hadn't felt for years. As his body pressed against hers, she wished she could lose consciousness as well, the pain of the pressure of his weight on hers almost becoming too much for her to bear. To her relief, Mustang woke up just as she was about to cry out, his strong hands gently lifting her sleeping brother's body from hers, the pain disappearing with it. Ed couldn't help but feel guilty at her inability to comfort her brother without succumbing to the pain, cursing her for not being stronger.

Roy lowered her brother into the bed in the corner of the room, pulling the blanket over him before moving back to her, his eyes scanning her body slowly. Ed watched as his onyx eyes moved over every bandage that was visible above the blanket, searching for any sign that she had started bleeding again.

"I'm fine, Mustang." She breathed, her hand reaching for his without her realizing. His strong fingers curled around hers, the heat calming her frazzled nerves slightly.

"Why was your brother asleep on top of you?" His voice was deep, yet gentle. Ed had to admit, she really loved the way he sounded when he was concerned. It was so different yet the same that it made her feel right at home in his presence.

"He was crying, so I held him. It wasn't his fault, so don't be mad at him."

"I'm not mad at him or at you for that matter. But you are badly hurt, and you need to take it easy, okay?"

"I know." She breathed, closing her eyes. Another wave of panic hit, making her open her eyes, her body tensing on its own, sending another wave coursing through her body. Her fingers tightened around his, making him look at her, a look of panic on his face.

"Are you alright? Do you want me to go call Fu?"

"I'm fine…" She croaked, the pain dying down slightly. "I just have to ride it like a wave."

Roy's jaw clenched tightly as he glared at the door, though she knew it was meant for the doctor instead. "He could at least give you something for the pain."

"I'm fine, Roy. The pain is nothing."

"How can you say that? I can see it's not nothing."

Edward's hand moved out of his, instead resting against his cheek, his onyx eyes focused on hers as she spoke. "This is nothing compared to what I've felt before. And I survived that, so I can survive this." Her finger moved across his lips, deciding that he would hopefully put her actions down to pain-induced delirium. Her hand dropped onto the mattress as the door flung open, revealing a rather tired looking Hughes.

"Roy, we found something interesting… oh, hello Edward. How are you feeling?"

"Hello Hughes. I'm feeling much better, thank you." She smiled back at him as he moved closer, almost disappointed when he didn't instantly produce a photo of his young daughter. "What did you find?"

Hughes eyed her cautiously, before turning to Roy, unsure whether or not to continue. "Go ahead, Hughes. Edward is as much a part of this team as anyone else, so he'll probably find out sooner or later."

Ed glanced at Roy as he said the word '_he_', silently grateful that her secret had not become public knowledge yet. Not that she cared that much about it anymore, but she wanted Roy to be the first to know why she had lied all these years. Ed turned her attention back to Hughes as he pulled out a notepad, flipping it open half way before speaking again.

"Well, we analysed what we could in the basement, but there wasn't much to go on…"

"So what was the interesting part?"

"I'm getting to it." His eyes moved back to Edward's as he spoke, like he was analysing her reactions to his words. "The basement had quite a lot of blood in it, much more than what Edward had lost, so it's safe to assume it was their base of operations."

"Their?"

"We found two unmade beds, with evidence that they had both recently been used, indicating that there are two people committing the crimes. Furthermore, we found an assortment of torture tools. Quite a few of them were still clean, probably never having been used, but there were also a couple with…" His eyes moved to Roy's, begging him to stop him, but after a few seconds, he finished his sentence anyway, his eyes focused on Ed's again, "fresh blood on them. It's safe to say that those were the ones used on Edward."

A wave of panic rose up in her chest at the mention of the tools that had been used on her, a few of them etched in her memory forever. Roy's fingers encircled hers again, calming her enough for her lungs to move, taking in a deep shaky breath.

"We're familiar with a most of them, but there's one or two that we have no idea of what they are used for, so we can't match them to any of the wounds yet."

"I could probably identify them for you." She breathed before she could stop herself. Roy watched as she closed her eyes, scolding herself mentally for not keeping her mouth shut. But she knew that if it could help them catch the bastards who did this to her, she had to do whatever it took. "I also saw the face of one of the men, so I could probably describe him to you."

"If you are comfortable with that…"

"No." Roy's voice cut Hughes off, the tone of it cold and commanding. "Edward needs to rest, and it won't do him any good to remember what happened."

"I have to do this Roy, while it's still fresh in my mind." She urged, her fingers tightening around his slightly. She was scared, but she knew as long as he stayed close to her, she could do anything. "I'll start with the tools, if you have pictures of them."

Roy watched her intently, concern evident on his face, as Hughes disappeared out of the room, only to re-appear with a box in his arms. Edward could feel her body tensing as he neared her, knowing full well that it contained the actual instruments of her torture instead of harmless pieces of paper.

"I'm afraid all I have are the actual tools. Do you think you can still identify them?"

She wanted nothing more than to shake her head. She wanted to shake her head, crawl into Roy's chest and forget everything that happened. But instead, she nodded; the wave of pain coursing through her body almost completely unnoticeable as she lay inches away from the objects of her torture.

Hughes placed the box on the table, taking out blade after blade, placing them next to the box. She could barely make them out, but each one sent a new wave of pain through her body, as though it was recalling the metal as it had cut through her flesh. Edward's eyes widened as Hughes pulled out a curved blade, its jagged teeth still covered in her blood. Her body tensed as Hughes moved it in front of her, sending a wave of fear through her body. Roy watched her reaction, barking at Hughes to put the blade away.

"I-It's alright, Roy." She breathed, her grip on his hand tightening until her knuckles where white. "I have to do this." Her eyes shifted from him to the blade again, pushing the wave of panic back down. "I don't know its proper name, but I can tell you what he used it for. Better, I'll show you." Edward let go of Roy's hand momentarily, only to grab it again as the panic rose up in her throat like bile. There was no way she could let go of him without having a full on panic attack. Instead, she turned to Hughes. "Lift the blanket off of my leg." Hughes did so, waiting for her next instructions. "Now, if you look at the back of my calf, you'll see what that blade does."

Ed bit her lip as the pain of the movement coursed through her veins like fire. Hughes lifted her leg slowly, before carefully removing the bandage, Fu standing behind him instructing him what to do to not aggravate the broken bones. When had he even entered the room? She could feel the cloth fall away from her leg, exposing the raggedly torn flesh. She could still remember the moment he had cut her with the tool that now lay on the table next to her.

* * *

"_Alright, princess. Now that you know who the boss is, how about we have a little fun." The man dropped the blade he had just used to cut open her shirt to the table. She watched as he picked up another tool, handing it to the man across from him. "Go get this one ready, will you?" _

"_Certainly." The man disappeared with the strange tool back into the darkness, leaving her with the deranged bastard. _

"_Now, Princess, how about we get rid of your pants as well? After all, I can't very well have my way with you while they're on, can I?" _

"_Fuck you." Ed spat out, making him growl at her. _

"_Have you still not learnt your lesson? Perhaps…" He lifted a curved blade off of the table, turning it over and over in his hands as he spoke, "this will teach you what you still haven't figured out. Now, the question remains, shall I use this on your face…" The blade's jagged edges bit into her cheek, though it didn't fit the curves of her face properly, making the man growl disappointed. _

"_I guess it's not made for that. How about your neck?" Again, the blade bit into her skin, this time each jagged edge making contact with it, sending pain through her neck. "Perhaps not. I don't want to kill you just yet. So maybe I'll just use it on your leg." _

_Edward bit her lip hard as the steel dug into her leg, refusing to scream. The man laughed frantically as the blade dug deeper and deeper into her flesh, until it finally disappeared completely. Slowly he started moving it in a sawing motion, making her scream out in pain, the blade ripping through her flesh. _

* * *

"The flesh will never heal properly." Fu's voice ran through her mind, pulling her back to the present. Ed's gaze shifted to the man next to her, his onyx eyes trained on her face.

"Are you alright?" She only nodded, not sure whether or not she could lie to him without him picking up on it right away.

"There weren't any of these kinds of wounds on the other victims, was there?" Hughes asked as he moved back to the blade, picking it up and placing it with the others while Fu redid the bandage around her leg.

"No. This is the first time I've seen it used in this case, though I have seen similar wounds about eleven years ago. I'll tell you about it later."

"Agreed. Edward, do you think you can identify the second tool now, or do you need a moment?"

"I'd rather get it over and done with now."

Hughes nodded, before pulling another item from the box. Ed stared at it for a moment, not believing what she was seeing in front of her. To any normal person it looked like a much larger version of an office tool used to remove staples, with its prongs much thinner than the original tool. But Edward knew from experience that it wasn't meant for office use. Her breathing became shallow, before picking up pace drastically, a panic attack taking hold of her. She was vaguely aware of Roy and Fu barking at Hughes to hide the tool, as Fu moved over to her, a syringe in his hands. Moments later she was out cold, though it didn't save her from the nightmare that the tool had awakened inside of her.

* * *

"How many people have seen that?" Roy asked as he sat down at the kitchen table, Hughes following suite.

"Just the four of us. Why, what is it?"

"It's ancient torture tool. I'm surprised you don't know what it is." Fu said as he put the cup of tea in front of him.

"Before I tell you what it is used for, there's something you have to know about Edward." Roy's said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he could trust Hughes with his life, but he still felt wrong for having to tell him her secret. "It goes without saying that you need to keep it between us. No-one must know."

"Of course, you know you can trust me."

"I know. Here goes. Firstly, Edward isn't an anomaly to the case."

"What do you mean?"

"The killer hasn't suddenly started going after men. Edward is a woman." Roy watched as Hughes processed what he was saying. It was a lot to take in, he knew that from experience. As if reading his mind, Roy continued. "I don't know why she had kept her gender a secret, but I have no doubt that she had a good reason."

"Okay, I think I understand. Now as for that tool…"

"There are two variations of that specific tool. The first was called the Iron Spider. It was attached to walls. The one you have in that box, however, is the portable version, called the breast ripper. I'm certain the title is self explanatory."

"You mean…"

"Luckily, no. She seems to only have burns and slight tearing, so the bastard had stopped short of using it fully." Fu said, Roy heaving a sigh of relief.

"Burns?"

"Usually it was heated up before used." Roy said with a growl. "It's a barbaric torture method."

"Agreed. In most cases the women it was used on would bleed to death. Ed was really lucky."

"There's nothing lucky about the situation at all!" Roy snapped, slamming his cup to the table hard. "Ed was kidnapped and tortured. What part of that is lucky?"

"I think what Fu meant was that it was lucky of us to have found Ed when we did, Roy." Hughes spoke up after taking a sip of his tea. "Edward has quite a lot of injuries, considering she had been gone for only twelve hours. It could have been much worse."

"Exactly. After only such a short time, she has more wounds than I have seen on most victims of months of torture. It's a miracle she survived at all." Fu said, standing on the far side of the kitchen. Despite the fact that he was helping them, he still hated the military.

"So what you're saying is that she must be in immense pain?" Roy asked, though he already knew the answer. "If she's in that much pain, why are you still refusing to give her something to dull it?"

"If she had sustained a concussion, the pain medication would hide it from us. Because the meds will make her drowsy, I won't be able to monitor her mental health properly." Fu said, almost sounding annoyed that Roy hadn't figured it out for himself.

Hughes placed his cup back onto the table, before reaching into the box, pulling out the curved blade. "You said a blade like this one was used in a case eleven years ago? Mind telling us more?"

"The last time the military was in Rayerk, they were here to try and weed out refugees of the war that had somehow made it to this town. They didn't listen to reason, and certainly didn't care whether or not they injured innocent people to get at the refugees. There was one woman who ended up being used as a hostage."

"The refugees?"

"They thought that maybe the military would stop killing them if they had some sort of bargaining chip. Unfortunately for the woman, the refugees weren't the nicest of people, and they started to torture her for fun. Her body were full of scars similar to the ones on Ed's calf when she was brought to me. When the military finally figured out their base of operations, they stormed it, killing everyone in sight, regardless whether they were civilians or refugees. The woman ended up on the opposite side of a blast caused by some alchemist, and became partially blind as well. We lost a lot of innocent people that day."

"What happened to the woman?" Roy asked.

"She died shortly after being brought to me. The damage to her body from not only the blasts but the torture turned out to be too much to bear."

"It was war…" Roy spoke, trying his best to sound as nonchalant as possible, making Hughes look at him with a sad smile.

"Of course a military man like you would make an excuse like that to justify mass murder." Fu scoffed, leaving the two men in the kitchen as he stomped out of the house.

* * *

**A/N: I'm going to move the update day for this to Tuesdays starting now. I'll update the information on my profile as I go as well, so feel free to check there if you want to know when the next chapter will be up. Feel free to review and message me :3 Until next time. **


	9. Confessions

**Author's note: Sorry this chapter is late. Rough couple of weeks. Anyway, Enjoy :3**

* * *

It has been a week since Edward was taken from the cottage, a week since she's been stuck in that bed with nothing to do but read the same books over and over. She was just about ready to climb up the walls. To her disappointment, Fu had instructed her that she was not allowed to get up for at least three more days, and even that was pushing her limits too much for his liking. Not that she cared really. Over the course of the week most of the pain had dissipated into a dull ache, except for the sharp burning sensation that she got from the wound in her calf. It had been having major trouble healing, the jagged flesh almost refusing to bind together. Not only that, but it kept getting infected, from what she had no idea. It was constantly wrapped in a bandage, and she wasn't allowed to move her leg at all. She didn't want her leg to heal improperly, though to her relief, it had turned out that what Fu had thought was a break, turned out to only be a crack.

Mustang's team had moved into Rayerk, despite Fu's constant arguments against it. Roy seemed to ignore the man whenever he started acting up about it, the look in his eyes shutting the doctor up more often than not. Ed couldn't help but find it slightly funny. Last week the man was ready to start a rebellion against Roy and the military, and now he seemed less than eager to follow up on his words. The change in his attitude confused Ed at first, until she witnessed the death glare her CO threw at the doctor herself. Even the great Fullmetal would back off is she was on the receiving end of those eyes.

Roy had stayed by her side throughout most of her stay. At times he would disappear, only to return a few hours later, his hair standing in all directions after his hand had continuously moved through it, obviously annoyed. She had figured out that he did that whenever he was annoyed or bored, and if she was being honest with herself, she had gone out of her way on more than one occasion to get him to do just that.

Little Tisha had visited her a few times as well, but she never stayed long. She had healed quite nicely for the most part, but her spirit still seemed to be broken. After Ed had experienced what the deranged man did first handed, she didn't blame the child.

Ed ran her fingers through her golden hair, using her fingers to try and get rid of the knots that had formed on the ends, when Roy entered her room, his hair standing in every direction again. Onyx eyes fell on her face, before he moved over to her, picking up the brush that lay on the table next to her. Without a word, she dropped her hand, letting him brush her hair with gentle strokes instead.

"We're moving you to the cottage today." His deep voice spoke as he worked on the knot. "There has been another attack, and Fu needs the room."

"Shouldn't you be at the scene then?"

"I just came from there to get you ready to be moved. Hughes is still assessing the scene, so we have thirty minutes before they need the room."

"Did you learn anything from the scene?" She asked as his fingers moved through her hair, braiding it as he had done every day since she had been brought there.

"Nothing that we didn't know already. The body was dumped after the torture took place, and she had bled out before being found. According to Hughes, it seems like they have a new base of operations, though he will need the autopsy report before he can speculate the area it might be in. There we go."

She ran her fingers over the neat braid as he moved across the room, stuffing her few items into a bag as he spoke. "The move might be a bit stressful on your body, so Fu had suggested we sedate you for it."

"No." The braid dropped onto her back as she shook her head. "I can handle it."

"I know you can, Ed. But it might be better for your overall health if we…"

"No." She wasn't going to budge. There was no way she would let herself be moved with her being unconscious. After that night, she had had nightmares whenever she was sleeping, whether it was drug induced or not, and she didn't want everyone to see her thrashing about as they moved her. It had been bad enough for Roy to see her in such a weak state. What little pride she had left, had to be protected, regardless of the pain it took to do so.

"Fine." Fingers ran through black hair as he sighed, moving over to her side again, and his hand taking hold of hers. "Al's waiting for us at the cottage. He was going to go back to Resembool today, but when he heard you were going to be taken home today, he decided to postpone it."

Edward couldn't help but stare at the man next to her. Since when was the cottage the two of them shared together, home? Fingers gentry rubbed the top of her hand as he got lost in his thoughts, only to return to reality when Lydia entered the room, her eyes grazing over their interlocked hands with a slight smile.

"I'm going to change your bandages before you're moved, to help lessen the strain on your body. Then Roy won't have to change them until tonight either." The nurse brought over a few clean bandages, starting on her leg first as Ed watched, biting her lip as she started to remove the old bandage.

"Since when – Ow – can you change bandages, Bastard?"

He shrugged. "I've had basic first-aid training, Fullmetal. It's mandatory for military soldiers, after all. Fu has also given me some pointers on what to do and what to avoid, so you're in safe hands."

"Like I trust you, you womanizer." Ed smirked, letting out a sigh moments later as the pressure around the wound disappeared completely, the bandage dropping to the bed.

"Like I'd do anything with such a shrimp." Roy retorted, squeezing her hand gently. Sometimes she wasn't sure where she stood with this man. He would flirt with her, even acting fondly towards her, and at other times he would say shit like that, like he had no intention of ever seeing her as anything other than his subordinate. His hand in hers as he said it made her more confused, but it was forgotten as a sharp pain ran up her leg.

With a hiss, Ed turned her attention back to the woman who was currently pressing her finger to her wounded calf. Ed knew that she had to do that, to check if there was any new infections brewing under her skin, but she sometimes wished that they would just put the ointment on it regardless. With a tsk from the woman, she reached over to the bottle, dipping some of the liquid inside onto the cotton ball before pressing it against the cut, making it sizzle.

"Seems the infection hasn't given up yet, so you're going to have to apply this every six hours, until I come to check on it again in three days, okay Roy?" The man nodded as the nurse handed him the bottle, before wrapping the leg again, moving on to the wounds on her arm next. "There are clean bandages in a basket on the table, next to your usual vegetable supply. With her still so weak, I would suggest sticking to soup for a while." Again, black hair bobbed up and down as he nodded mutely.

"There we go. You can move her now." Lydia spoke as she moved the old bandages to the trashcan in the corner, disappearing out of the door seconds later.

"There's two ways for us to move you, but we're going to let you decide which way you prefer. The first is we have Armstrong carry you to the cottage." Golden bangs whipped across her face as she furiously shook her head, making him chuckle, his deep rumbling voice filling the room. "The other option is for me to carry you. We were going to use a gurney, of sorts, but it seems the only one they own is being used to bring the victim here, so we can't use it ourselves."

"I don't mind if you carry me." Ed said, a deep blush crossing her features. "After all, you've done it before."

"True." He shrugged, his hands moving to pick her up. "I'll try to be as gentle as possible, but you're going to have to stay still." Strong arms moved underneath her form, gently lifting her up bridal style, as her arms wrapped around his neck instinctively, making him let out another chuckle. "I'm not going to drop you Edward, you can relax."

"I know you won't drop me." She said, her voice almost trembling at the sheer proximity of the man. It was hard for her to admit, but being in his arms just felt so… right. There was no other way to explain it. She felt like a piece of a puzzle, finally fitting into its place in the grand scheme of it all. Roy carried her out into the street, and to her relief, the streets were empty as usual. Figuring the team was still dealing with the newest body, she relaxed slightly, becoming aware of the sharp burn in her leg moments later. A hiss escaped her lips, making Roy look at her, his lips less than an inch from her face.

"I'm sorry if this hurts. We're almost home."

Edward shook her head slightly before resting it on his shoulder in the crook of his neck, his lips brushing against her temple slightly, sending shivers down her spine. If the pain in her leg was considered equivalent exchange for being this close to him, she would gladly be in pain all the time. All too soon they moved through the wooden door, Al jumping off of the couch as she entered his view.

"Brother! How are you feeling? Is your leg better yet? Do you want something to eat or drink? Are you co…?"

"Alphonse, let me at least lay your sister down before you bombard her with questions." Roy chuckled as he moved towards her bed, stopping halfway down the hallway. "Edward, do you want me to put you to bed or would you rather join us in the living room?"

Lifting her head from his shoulder slightly, she contemplated her options, before choosing the living room, Roy turning on his heels and placing her on the couch she usually chose seconds later. Al appeared out of her room, bringing the blanket in his hands to drape over her, before taking his seat next to Roy on the opposite couch.

* * *

"That was amazing, Roy." Al breathed, placing his now empty bowl on the table in front of him.

"Thanks." The black haired man replied, grabbing his bowl from where he had just dropped it, before heading to the kitchen. "Al, you can sleep in my bed tonight."

"Oh no, I couldn't do that." His hands waved in front of his face as he spoke, though it didn't do her younger brother much good.

"I insist. Sleeping on a couch isn't good for you." Roy stopped behind Ed's couch, his hands resting on the back of it as he spoke. "If you want to, you can have a bath Fullmetal."

"I'd love one, but I can barely stand…"

"Not a problem. I'll run the water for you." He disappeared down the hallway before she could protest further, leaving her to a chuckling Al.

"I guess he's going to help you take a bath…"

"Shut up Al." She growled, her face tinted pink.

"You should be happy brother, haven't you had a crush on him since forever?"

"Shut up, Al."

"Just think, his hands will be all over your naked…" The pillow hit him square in the face, sending him into a fit of giggles.

"I swear Al, if you don't shut it, I will strangle you in your sleep."

"I'm not going to carry you into his room just to be an accomplice to murder." Roy's voice came from the bathroom, making it very clear he could hear what they were busy talking about. If Ed's face could get any redder, she'd be considered a tomato. Al got up from his seat, still giggling as he moved over to his sister, giving her a hug.

"Good night brother. Sleep well."

"You too Al. Remember to wake me before you head out."

"I will." Edward watched as her brother disappeared down the hallway, Roy appearing from it moments later, his hair slightly wet from having run his hand through his hair while it was wet. Without saying a word he lifted her up, carrying her to the bathroom while she tried, and failed, to stop her furious blushing.

His hands moved gently as he removed her shirt and pants. Ed sat in her underwear, a bandage covering her breasts as well, as Roy's hands moved over her leg, gently removing the bandage, before moving to the others. To her relief, or disappointment, she wasn't sure, he left the bandage across her chest alone, instead instructing her to remove it herself while he checked on Al, handing her a thin white towel. By the time he had returned, she was naked, but her body was covered by the towel. Without a word, he picked her up, his strong hands running over her naked body, sending shivers of – was that pleasure? – through her, before placing her in the warm water, a hiss escaping her lips as her wounds made contact with the liquid.

"Do you need me to help you?" Roy asked, the cloth and soap in his hands, as if asking her permission.

"J-Just with my b-back." She breathed, her hand still clenching the towel against her chest, covering as much of her front as she could while the fabric absorbed the water around her, becoming heavy. With a nod, Roy lathered the cloth with soap, before gently washing her back, making her whimper, in both pleasure and pain. She was painfully aware of his fingers brushing against her back, eventually moving down until just above her ass, the urge to pull him closer almost unbearable. All too soon he handed her the cloth, and left the bathroom so that she could finish washing up. Maybe she should have said yes…

Shaking her head, she started on her body, hissing each time the soap touched a wound. Her body was riddled with half-healed scars and bruises, making her grateful she had said no instead. There was no doubt in her mind that she looked hideous, like some sort of doll that had been stitched together from different parts. Her hand slipped underneath her leg, lifting it up as she bit into her lip hard, drawing blood. With her other hand, she brushed the cloth against the wound, and she was certain any more pain and she would either bite off her lip completely, or pass out. Hastily she placed her leg back in the water, a sigh escaping her lips as the water washed the soap away.

"Are you done yet, Fullmetal?" Roy's voice called from the other side of the bathroom door, pulling her attention away from her leg.

"Yes, Mustang."

"I'm coming in then." She pulled the towel back to her body, covering herself as much as possible as he entered the bathroom. His eyes scanned her body, onyx lingering over her curves, making her feel slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. What was he thinking? Was he thinking of how grotesque she looked? Strong hands slipped under her as he lifted her out of the tub and for a moment it felt like he was going to lose his balance, making her throw her arms around his neck, towel completely forgotten. It fell back into the tub as she realized too late what she had done, leaving her naked in his arms, breasts pressed against his chest. More embarrassed she couldn't possibly be.

Roy moved her to her room, a towel sprawled across her bed. He lay her on the towel, his eyes averted from her body as he handed her a dry one. Ed's heart fell at his reaction, despite herself. If she had been a more feminine woman, perhaps he would have devoured her with his eyes. Instead, he left the room rather hastily, leaving her to dry herself as best she could before pulling her panties on. He appeared in her doorway as she pulled the towel against her breasts, a couple of clean bandages clenched in his hand.

"I'm going to have to bandage up your chest." Not even his voice sounded remotely interested, instead taking on its usual bored tone as he moved over to her. "I know it must be uncomfortable for you, but it's going to get infected if I don't."

"I know." She muttered, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. The towel moved from her body, making her blush. Glancing at him, she noticed his eyes were focused on her chest, a look of pure horror and disgust on his face. So she _was_ hideous now. "You don't have to do this if it's uncomfortable. I-I can get Lydia to help me instead."

"Don't be ridiculous, Fullmetal. I did this before, remember." His fingers ran over her breast, making her hiss as the ointment made contact with the gashes.

"What…" She breathed, biting her lip as he moved to the other one, his fingers following the same motions.

"I removed the bullet from your chest, remember?"

"Oh, right. I'm sorry."

"What are you apologising for. Can you sit up?"

With a nod she sat up, his hand on her back helping her until she was upright. "I mean, I've really been an imposition to you…"

"Not at all." The bandage moved across her chest, slowly covering up the hideous remains of her breasts. "You're my subordinate; of course I'll take care of you."

"Oh, Right." Of course that was it. What else could it have been? Roy applied the ointment to all the wounds he had been instructed to treat, before wrapping them all up. It was a lengthy process, and by the time he had finished and helped her pull on her clothes, it was almost midnight. With a yawn, Roy pulled the blanket over her, kissing her forehead almost absentmindedly.

"Sleep well, Edward."

With a blush, she nodded. "You too, Roy."

* * *

Roy lay on the couch, his mind still replaying the night in front of his eyes. His fingers recalled the feeling of her body, his nose recalled the smell of her hair. She had taken over his every sense, and yet all he had done was help her into and out of the bath, before treating her wounds. Never before had he felt like he was going to burst. He wanted her so badly, but he knew better. Running his hand through his hair, he sat upright, his eyes fixed on the dark fireplace. What he would have given to be next to her right now.

His attention was pulled to the hallway as a whimper echoed through the darkness. It didn't take him long to place it, certain it had originated from Edwards room. His feet hit the ground, and moments later he was in her room, his glove on his hand, ready to snap.

Edward lay on her bed, sweat covering her brow as she whimpered again, her head moving from side to side in distress. Slipping off the glove, he moved over to her bed, his hand taking hers in his. The motion seemed to be enough to wake her, as her golden orbs shot open, a look of fear being replaced with embarrassment when she took in his face.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Not at all. Are you alright?" Roy gently moved her bangs out of her face, his fingers brushing over her skin.

"Just a dream."

"More like a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?"

The look in her eyes made his stomach lurch. "N-No. I'm fine now." She whimpered softly. If his hand hadn't been on her cheek, he wouldn't have felt the shiver run through her body. With a sigh, he got up, before moving behind her bed, lifting the covers and sliding in bed next to her. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm going to hold you so you can sleep, what else?"

"You don't have to do that…"

"I want to." Placing a soft kiss against her neck, he whispered in her ear, sending another shiver down her spine. "Get some sleep, Ed. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Roy…"

He couldn't take the guilt any more. "I'm so sorry, Edward." Roy whispered, his face pressed into her hair, as his arms tightened around her slightly. "I'm so sorry I didn't protect you…"

"It's not your fault."

"I should have been there to protect you. This happened to you because I was too pathetic…"

"No, none of this was your fault." Edward turned towards him, ignoring the pain that came with the movements, instead placing her hand against his cheek. "You found me and saved me from that place, so don't you go and blame yourself for this."

"Ed…"

She pressed her lips against his, her golden orbs focused on onyx for just a moment, before they closed, a hum escaping her. Roy was taken aback by the sudden intimacy, and before he could reciprocate the kiss, Ed pulled away from him, a deep blush spreading across her face.

"I'm sorry." She whispered softly, burying her face in his chest. Roy's hand moved under her chin, lifting her eyes so they could meet his, a smile on his lips.

"You should be, Edward." Her face fell, so he continued hastily. "I was going to kiss you first, how dare you beat me to it?" Shock played across her beautiful features, making him laugh softly, his nose nuzzling against hers fondly. "Don't look so shocked. I thought I've made it obvious that I care for you."

"Well, yes. But I'm your subordinate, isn't that what you're supposed to do?" Her voice uncertain. Roy ran his finger across her bottom lip as he spoke, the smile never leaving his lips.

"I care for you in a different way. Edward, I care for everyone under my command, but I love you. I love you like I've never loved anyone before."

"What?" Dumbfounded. She had gone from sad, to confused to dumbfounded in the space of a few seconds. Roy loved the effect he was so obviously having on her.

"I love you Ed." Roy whispered, before his lips pressed against hers, his hand stroking her cheek fondly. Her lips parted slightly when his tongue licked across her lower lip, granting him access to hers. A soft hum escaped her again as his tongue ran over hers fondly, the sound of her pleasure almost too much for him. His other hand ran through her hair as they separated to catch their breaths, his eyes taking in every feature of her face, from her luscious lips to her intense golden orbs. She was so breathtakingly beautiful to him.

"Roy…" She breathed, her lips brushing against his, sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine. "I love you…"

Their lips met again, and Roy was certain if the blanket had not been over him, weighing him down, he would have floated away in sure bliss.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a bit disjointed. I've been having a rough few weeks, and despite re-reading this multiple times, I couldn't find a single way to improve it. The next one should be much better. We're also nearing the end, as I didn't intend this fic to be that long. Probably between four and six more chapters, depending on how much I fit into each. Depending on how I decide to end this (still debating that) it might even lead to a sequel. Anyway, feel free to leave a review and message me if you want to chat. Until next time.**


	10. A Warm Bath

"You're not going to like what we found." Hughes placed his empty cup back onto the table, his expression sombre. Gone were the multitudes of pictures he had been showing Ed all morning long, replaced by the same look Roy had seen him wear during the war. Roy sat on the couch with Edward's head resting against his shoulder, her legs sprawled across the rest of it. Hughes had given them a strange look when he first saw the two so close to each other on the couch, but replaced it with his usual 'I knew it' smile, that gave Roy the urge to snap his fingers at his best friend.

"What did you find?" Ed spoke up, her eyes focused on him as she waited for his response.

"Alice, the latest victim, wasn't just tortured and left to bleed out." Hughes handed Roy the file he had had, waiting for him to flip through the pictures. Ed's breath caught on her lips as her eyes fell on the picture that caught both their attentions. Bile rose up in her throat, burning it as she fought it back down.

"They removed her eyes?" Roy asked, though he didn't expect an answer, the picture having already provided it. "They haven't done that before…"

"They're either getting desperate, or they're sending us a message." Hughes shook his head in disgust, before continuing. "According to the doctor, it had been done while she was still alive as well."

"Sick bastards…" Ed breathed, her hand tightening around Roy's arm slightly.

"Any idea where their new base is located yet?"

"We have a few ideas, but it's going to take a while to check them all out, especially since we don't have that many men to help with the search. Riza is currently organizing the search, so you don't have to worry about that." Hughes answered.

"What about the man Ed had provided a description of?" Again her fingers tightened around his arm. At this rate she was going to cut off the circulation in his arm, but Roy let her anyway.

"The only information we have gathered so far is that he was married to that woman from 11 years ago, the one that was used as a hostage."

"He was married to her? Perhaps this is some sort of vendetta?"

"That doesn't make sense. He's been targeting women only, and if this was about getting revenge, it would be aimed at the military or the rebels, both of which weren't in the town when this all started."

"We were here when the first murder took place." Ed spoke up.

"There's no way they would have known we were in the military. We were in civilian clothes, and the only people I told of our military status were Fu and Lydia. This has to be about something else." Roy handed the file back to Hughes. "Anything else?"

"We found cuts similar to the ones Ed sustained, so we're going to assume they have multiple tools, or that we hadn't secured all of the tools they had. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary."

"Hmmm."

They sat in silence for quite a while before a thought crossed Ed's mind, making her sit upright with a start, pulling both men's eyes to her. "There's more than just two."

"What?" Hughes asked, a frown playing across his brow.

"I just recalled something the bastard had told me when I first came to. He said 'How does she expect me to control myself around you?' I didn't pay it much attention at the time, what with the gaping hole in my leg…" Her fingers ran over the spot metal had bitten into flesh before continuing. "I think there's a woman calling the shots."

"That means we have three psychopaths on our hands." Hughes sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"There was something else. I think he wasn't allowed to kill me yet." Ed bit her lip as she tried to recall everything the deranged man had said to her that night, Roy's eyes focused on her face. "What if the whole reason I was taken and tortured, was to delay our departure? We were going to leave the next day, weren't we?"

"Well, I was planning on getting you out and then taking the whole town by force, but yes, it was all planned for the next day." A frown played across Roy's face as well, as he thought about what she was saying to him.

"I think I was just a distraction. I think their real target is you, Roy." She said as her eyes locked with his. "I think they wanted to make it impossible for you to move me yet, so they had more time to get to you."

"That doesn't make sense, why would they be after me?"

"You're Roy Mustang. Why wouldn't they be? If it's a woman calling the shots, perhaps it is revenge she's after."

"You are a womanizer." Hughes agreed. "And you've had your share of psycho girlfriends."

"This is serious." Roy pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Stop making fun of the situation."

"We are being serious." Ed insisted, her expression stern. "Roy, what if they are after you? We need to get you out of the town."

"And what if you're wrong and you really are their target?" Roy bit back, his tone harsher than he meant it to be, but he continued anyway. "I'm not going anywhere on a stupid hunch that some woman might be after me because I broke her heart, when there's an equal chance that they're after you for destroying something you shouldn't have."

"I've never been here before!" Ed snapped.

"That doesn't matter. You've destroyed so much in the past, maybe they followed you and decided to take revenge here?!"

"Calm down you two…" Hughes tried, but was ignored by the two.

"Are you saying that all the women they had killed were my fault?"

"That's not what I'm saying!" Roy growled. "I'm saying that you're in as much danger as you claim I am, and I'm not running away because you're afraid."

"I never said I was afraid, Bastard!"

"Then what are you saying, Fullmetal?"

She bit her tongue at the mention of her title. He hadn't called her that since last night, and he using it now told her he was close to the edge. They've had many fights before, but this was completely different. With some effort, she shifted herself to the opposite side of the couch, opting to glare at the wall on her side instead of acknowledging his presence. Roy caught the hint, turning back to Hughes.

"I want a protection detail on Ed at all times. Regardless of who their real target is, we're going to catch them. Have Hawkeye report to me, I'll have her sort out the details."

"Alright." Hughes breathed, getting up and moving towards the door. With a lazy salute, he left the two in the cottage to stubbornly ignore the other.

* * *

"What am I supposed to do with this?" The two green orbs swirled in the jar as she moved it, her glare focused on the man in front of her.

"Since you already picked your target, I thought you'd like them as a souvenir." Frank responded with a shrug, oblivious to the anger that radiated off the woman like waves.

"You're going to get us caught if you keep doing whatever the hell you want." She growled as she moved past him. After thinking about it, she moved to the display case, placing the jar on the top shelf. "They are remarkable, so it would be a shame to just throw them away."

"I knew you'd like them."

"This doesn't make it okay. You have to start using that small brain of yours."

Frank shrugged as he dropped into the same chair he always occupied. "I heard the military has taken over the town."

"Not completely, but it is going to be a lot harder getting to them now."

"I'll handle it. It's about time I have a challenge, the townsfolk were getting boring anyway." Frank picked up the apple that lay at the top of the basket, his callused fingers running over the same imperfections again. "How long till the equipment arrives?"

"The train should have come today. We just need to have it brought here without anyone noticing."

"That should be easy enough…"

"Setting everything up will take a day or so, but once I'm ready, you're going to have to do your part, and you're going to have to be quick about it."

"What are you going to do when you've taken what you need?" Frank asked, licking his lips in anticipation.

"When I have them, you can do whatever you want with the body."

"Fantastic…"

* * *

Edward sat on the couch with one of the books little Tisha had brought for her earlier that day open in her hands, her eyes moving across the pages. It was already late evening, through the day had felt like four crammed into one. A faint muffle of voices could be heard from outside, probably Havoc and Mustang talking, but she didn't really care either way. She had been in a foul mood since Hughes had left earlier that morning, Roy mirroring the mood perfectly as silence fell between the two of them. Ed knew she was stubborn, most of the people around her knew that fact well. Even with that, she absolutely hated it when others were stubborn towards her.

When she recalled the words of the madman that morning, a real sense of dread had taken hold of her heart, squeezing it until she had to fight just to keep her breath steady. Now, whenever she thought of Roy, that same dread took hold. She couldn't quite explain it, but she knew something bad was about to happen, and she wanted him out of harm's way.

Ed was used to lying to people to protect them; she had done it many times before, especially when it came to Winry. But lying to protect Mustang was something she didn't like to do. The man had always been there when she needed him, always stuck his neck out to protect and help Al and her. Why had she lied and tried to get him out of the town? It didn't make sense to her at all. Her feelings for him were beginning to mess with her head, turning logical thinking into messy lies.

There was no doubt in her mind about who their real target was. They wanted something from her, and her gut told her she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out what. The thing that really bothered her was why they had killed another woman if she was who they wanted? And why did they remove her eyes?

With a sigh, she laid the book next to her, unable to focus on the romance novel Tisha had thought she'd like. Her mind was a mess, and right about now, she would have loved to have a relaxing bath. Glancing at the door, she decided to risk it. As quietly as she could, she placed her palms together, pressing them against the small table that was stood next to the couch moments later, turning it into a pair of crutches. With a deep breath, she got to her feet, wobbling unstably as she positioned herself with the crutches, almost falling over in the process. Ed bit her lip as she began moving, barely keeping upright as the weight of her auto mail leg flung forward.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally made it to her room, her focus set on the drawer that held her clothes. Getting it open turned out to be just as challenging, the old drawers hard to open when you were stable on both feet, not to mention when one could barely keep oneself upright. With a grunt, they finally slid open just enough to access the clothes that lay on top. Without looking at it, she pulled out the top dress and underwear, hopping towards the bathroom.

After an immense struggle with various bandages, Ed finally made it into the warm water, a sharp hiss escaping her lips as her leg touched the water. It didn't take long for her to become completely relaxed, letting her mind wander as every muscle melted. A warm bath could be like magic after a hard day.

* * *

Roy opened the door as Havoc saluted him one last time, before closing it again, his eyes scanning the room slowly. He had figured Ed had made crutches or something of the sort when the faint light of an alchemic reaction had lit up the windows, so it didn't surprise him in the slightest when she wasn't where he had left her. For some strange reason he couldn't explain, or perhaps didn't want to, he still felt anxious at the very thought of not knowing exactly where she was. Fingers moving through raven hair, Roy made his way to her room, the wood underneath his feet creaking with each step.

Her drawer stood open, a piece of what he could only assume was a dress hanging from it. Shaking his head, he moved to the bathroom, his hand gripping the handle tightly, the urge to fling the door open almost too much to bear. Instead, he knocked on the door slowly, his ear pressed against it to hear her response.

"Edward, are you in there?"

Silence. The anxious feeling that had been building up in his chest threatened to suffocate him, forcing him to swallow hard and take a deep breath. Perhaps she hadn't heard him.

"Edward?"

Again, nothing. Biting his lip hard until he tasted blood, he flung the door open, his other hand ready to snap and incinerate anything that threatened her. The door hit the wall with a loud thud, startling a very naked Edward, her head snapping in his direction. He stood there in the doorway, his eyes focused on hers, though he could see her whole body out of the corner of his eyes. Ed stared back for a moment, until a shade of red he had never seen crossed her cheeks, her hands trying to cover her exposed body as she hissed at him.

"What the hell? You bloody pervert, get the fuck out!"

Roy started to turn on his heels, only to stop, his eyes taking in her face one more time. He had known her long enough to know when she had been having a nightmare, the telltale streaks of the tears still on her cheeks. Without hesitation, he moved over to her as she tried to cover her body even more, reaching for the towel. His hand stopped hers, his fingers wrapping around her wrist gently. Onyx focused on gold, the rest completely forgotten.

"Are you alright?" The concern in his voice startled her, her glare faltering slightly.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

"How…"

Without thinking, Roy wrapped his arms around her, completely oblivious to his clothes getting wet, as well as her absolutely shocked face. "It's alright. You're safe here."

"Roy, let go of me…" Her sentence was interrupted as Roy lifted her body out of the tub, her arms wrapping around his neck instinctively. "What the…"

"Let's get you dried off, you'll catch a cold."

Without another word Ed let him help her, eyes focused on his face as his fingers brushed against her skin while he silently replaced all her bandages, a look of pure concentration replacing the smug smile she had come to love.

* * *

Ed lay in her bed, her fingers entwined with his as he held her against his chest, his every breath against her neck sending shivers down her spine. There was so much she wanted to say to him, so much she _needed_ to say, but her stubborn nature had made it impossible to do so. After he had pulled her out of the cold water – She must have been asleep quite a while – they hadn't said a word to each other. To her relief, he had slipped in bed next to her, holding her tightly, but she still had so much to say to him.

Sighing softly, an idea occurred to her. Maybe if he was asleep talking to him wouldn't be considered giving in first. Perhaps, since he wouldn't hear her, it would be considered talking to herself. Biting her lip, she opened her mouth, only to shut it again. How would she begin this conversation? There was so much to explain, and if she didn't do this right, she would confuse even herself. Maybe…

"Our father wanted a boy…"

She lay next to him, focusing on his breathing, waiting to make sure he was in fact asleep. When he didn't respond, she carried on.

"When our mother found out she was pregnant, our father got really excited. He believed that she was carrying his first son. They decided to name me Edward, even before I saw the light of day." A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she recalled the story her mother had told her so many times. "You can imagine the shock they got when I turned out to be their little _girl. _ Mom, being the responsible realist she was, had told the nurses ahead of time what my name would be, in case something happened to her. Unfortunately, that thought had escaped her mind as she held me."

"She didn't care that I wasn't their son. She loved me. When the nurses referred to me as Edward, she didn't care either. If I'm honest, neither do I. I grew up as Edward Elric. Al grew up with his big sister, and he loved me regardless. Until we started going to school. Resembool might be a small town, but there were still quite a few children there. My first day in class, the teacher introduced the new girl that would be joining them."

Her fingers tightened around his slightly as she recalled that day. "By the time I had made it home, I no longer wanted to be a girl. The teasing was too much for me. My mom, she was truly amazing. She didn't hesitate to let me do as I wanted. Al started calling me brother, and from that day, I was no longer his big sister. When you came to Resembool and you mistook me as a boy, I decided to let you. If I was going to join the military, I knew being male would get me further without having to put up with sexism. Don't get me wrong, Hawkeye is amazing. I just wouldn't have gotten where I am today if I had corrected you. I'm sorry."

A soft kiss on her neck made her breath catch on her lips. The mattress shifted until two black eyes stared into hers, a soft smile across his face. "Don't underestimate yourself, Ed. You're a remarkable person, regardless of what sex you are. You got to where you are now because of your determination and strength, not because you pretended to be a man." His fingers brushed her hair out of her face. "You don't have to apologize to me. I'll support you until you're ready to become Al's big sister again."

"Roy…" Ed's fingers moved through his hair slowly, pulling him closer until their lips met, his tongue brushing against hers as they melted together. After what felt like only seconds, though their breathlessness told her otherwise, they pulled apart, a soft smile on both their faces. Hers faded fast though, as she recalled the other things she still had to tell him. "I have to tell you something."

A frown spread across his face at her words. Slowly he moved until he was sitting upright, Ed following suite, unable to look at him.

"What's wrong, Ed?"

"I know I'm really their target."

"I know…"

"Let me finish." When he nodded, she continued. "That man, he said they wanted something from me, something they weren't ready to take yet. And when they took it, they would kill me." Her fingers found his in between the blankets, their fingers lacing together. "I don't know what they want, but I think they'll come for it really soon. And I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"That's absurd. They're going to have to go through me if they want to get anywhere near you."

"I don't…"

"Shut up, Ed." Roy's lips pressed against hers again, though he pulled away almost as quickly, his nose nuzzling against hers. "I told you I love you. Do you honestly think I won't protect what I love with my life?"

"I don't want to put you in danger either. I lo…"

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up? I could have you tried for insubordination, you know?" He smiled as a growl escaped her lips, followed by a soft 'Bastard'. "I won't let them anywhere near you. No matter what you say. Now, you need sleep, so why don't you try to relax?"

Edward let him push her down, his strong arms wrapping around her again, pulling her into his chest as his scent filled her nose. Sleep claimed her, the usual nightmares replaced by a smug smirk and soft honey kisses, a sense of bliss she could lose herself in.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, I got it done in time. This will probably be the last fluff for a while, so I hoped everyone enjoyed it. Feel free to review and message me, I always appreciate it. Until next time :3**


	11. Bright Ideas

**Warning! There will be descriptions of violence, and mild torture in this chapter. Don't read if you're squeamish. I will try to keep it as mild as possible, as to not mess with the current rating. **

**Sorry for the long delay between posts. The plot bunnies abandoned me, I'm afraid to say. I will try to lure them back as much as I can, though it will mostly be to the benefit of **_**Moving Forward**_**, since this story is just about done. One to two more chapters left, and then I might look into doing a sequel. Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

Edward sat on the steps of the cottage as she watched Roy and Hughes head into town, their silhouettes shrinking in the distance. Havoc stood against the wall, his lit cigarette hanging on his lips as it always did. The breeze was cold, making her pull her jacket tighter around her. It would probably snow soon, which filled her with a sense of dread. Auto-mail did not fare well with snow, and if she was taken when it was snowing, and they put her in a similar basement, she would undoubtedly get frostbite around her ports.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking about when she'd be taken again. There was no doubt in her mind that that mad man was going to take her again, and soon. The only thing she was concerned about was keeping Roy out of the line of fire. She wasn't going to just lie down and let them kill her without putting up a fight, but she would let them take her. It was their best chance, their only chance, of finding their new base of operations, and she knew Roy wouldn't let her. For her plan to work, she needed him to not be captured with her. How was he going to find her and kill the bastards with him being tied up next to her? It wouldn't work at all.

That's why she was sat watching the distance, with no-one but Havoc around. When Hughes had showed up with news of another victim, Ed was the first one to suggest that Roy go investigate the scene with Hughes. Ed glanced at Havoc out of the corner of her eye, biting her lip as she racked her mind for a way to get away from him. A thought crossed her mind, and with a deep breath, she followed through with it, hoping it worked as well as she needed it to. With an exaggerated shiver, she started getting up, making as much of an effort out of the movement that she could, hoping it didn't look nearly as fake as it felt. To her relief, Havoc moved, his hands pressing down on her shoulders.

"What's wrong Chief? You shouldn't move around…"

"I was just going to go get a blanket. It's bloody cold out here."

"Stay put, I'll go get it…"

"No way, I can get my own damn blanket!"

"General Brigadier Mustang ordered me to take care of you Chief, so that's what I'm going to do. Now stay put."

"Fine." Ed grumbled, though mentally she was fist pumping. "I want the red one, it's the warmest."

With a nod, Havoc disappeared into the cottage, though Ed knew he would be gone quite a while. She'd be shocked if he found the red blanket, seeing as it didn't exist. Ed hobbled into the surrounding woods as fast as she could, trying to make as little noise as she moved. Even though it had been two days since she had told Roy about her past, and even longer since she had been injured, the wound on her calf was stubbornly refusing to heal properly like the rest of them.

After what felt like an eternity of hobbling through the darkening woods, Ed leaned against a tree, her mind racing. Perhaps she was wrong about being watched? Ed had thought that they would be watching her every movement, so they would snatch her up the moment she was alone. Yet, here she stood, no-one even knowing where she was, until Roy found the letter on his bed, that was, and they still haven't taken her. A growl made its way onto her lips, the mere thought of being made a fool out of pissing her right off.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little girl?!" She snapped into the forest, at no-one in particular. She stood there, listening to the birds singing in the treetops, her heart sinking slightly until a familiar laugh echoed through her being, sending a wave of fear through her bones, her head snapping in its direction.

"Well, what do we have here? A little princess with a death wish, it seems to me."

Ed growled at the man as he moved into sight, the same sadistic smile he had had that night, plastered across his face. "I'm not here to be your victim again; I'm here to make you my victim."

"Bold words coming from a cripple." He sneered. "What are you going to do, hop me to death, little princess?"

"I'm not your little princess." Ed moved until she was in her usual fighting stance, the man in front of her laughing as she moved.

"You are, or at least, you will be very soon." Licking his lips, he moved closer to her, his every muscle rippling in the light, making it clear to Ed that he was probably a lot stronger than she had initially thought. That didn't matter anymore now, anyway. All she had to do was put up a good fight, injure him as much as possible, while trying to avoid being injured too much herself.

As he moved into her range, she pushed her weight forward, her Auto-mail arm stretched out in front of her, connecting with the large man's jaw. Bringing her leg up, she kicked him in his chest, the force pushing her backwards as she landed on her hands, flipping back to a standing position. The pure force of the landing brought her to her knees, the pain in her wound making her hiss as she glared up at the man in front of her. To her dismay, he seemed amused at her attacks, making it painfully clear that she had done little to no damage to him at all.

"What were you saying about making me your victim? Are you planning on tickling me into submission?"

"Shut up!" She hissed, pushing her body forward again. Her fist was caught in his this time, as he blocked her attack. His first tightened around hers, before he swung his arm, flinging her backwards until her back connected with a tree, the pain of the contact making her groan.

"Are we done yet, princess?"

Ed pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the searing pain as she forced her body to stand as tall as she could. This fight would be over soon, and she was certain that she would lose, like she intended to do in the first place, but she wouldn't lose her pride at the same time. She growled as he moved closer, until his breath could be felt on her face, when she smiled, a thought occurring to her. Without a second thought, she lifted her auto-mail leg up as fast and hard as she could, eliciting a pained growl from the hulk in front of her as it connected with his balls. Her leg pressed against his shoulder as he huddled, his precious privates cupped in his hands, before she pushed her leg out, forcing him to the ground.

"Really, you lose to a little girl by getting kicked in the nuts?"

Ed flung around, her eyes searching the trees for the woman. The sun was barely casting any rays of light through the trees any more, making it hard to see anything but the silhouette of a woman.

"Come on, Frank. Get up and stop playing with her. Or do I have to do your work as usual?"

Without warning, a large hand wrapped around her neck, the fingers closing around her windpipe, making her grasp at them as she was lifted off of her feet, her lungs complaining of the sudden lack of oxygen.

"Do you want me to kill her now, or later?"

The woman moved closer, until she stood in one of the few rays of light left, making Ed's eyes widen in disbelief. "Later." The fingers tightened, until the darkness that surrounded her, claimed her mind, a single name on her lips as she was swept away.

* * *

"What do you mean, Edward's gone?" Roy exclaimed, as the flustered Havoc stood in front of him, a piece of paper crumpled between his fingers. "You had one job, Second Lieutenant Havoc, and that was to protect Fullmetal while I was gone."

"He asked me to get him a blanket, but when I returned, he had slipped away, Sir." Havoc said as he held out the paper, his other hand locked in a salute. Roy took the letter, his eyes scanning over it as a growl formed on his lips.

"Ed let them take him, didn't he?" Hughes asked as he stretched out his neck to try and read the note over Roy's shoulder.

"He says it's our best option to catch them. He says we're to track him down, and when we find him, we'll find the killers."

"If we couldn't find the killer's hideout before, what makes him think we'll find it now that he's been taken?" Havoc asked, his unlit cigarette moving with each word.

"Second Lieutenant, I want you to go find Hawkeye, tell her to organize the men into search parties. She's an expert at tracking, so have her come here when the men are sorted."

"Yes sir!" Havoc saluted before rushing out the door, leaving a rather distraught Roy to his thoughts, Hughes already moving to scan the surrounding forest for any sign of the missing alchemist.

* * *

Frank moved through the woods, the unconscious body over his shoulder, as he followed his sister-in-law, her black hair moving like waves with every step, reminding him of his beloved wife. His fingers tightened around the leg of the unconscious girl. Soon, they would finish what they started, and he would get his wife back.

"Frank, I need you to tie her up in the basement, and not kill her just yet. We might have the equipment, but it seems that one of the idiots you commissioned to get it moved here was less than careful with it. I have to re-calibrate it, and repair the damage they had done to the extraction points. Remember what I said, we can't kill her until after we have what we need, do you understand me?"

"I understand. I'll be as gentle as possible."

"Oh, you don't have to be gentle at all. You can break her until she's a hair's width from death; just don't let her die until I say so."

He licked his lips, the excitement of what he was going to do to her boiling up inside him, his speed picking up slightly.

* * *

"Edward's tracks end here, sir." Hawkeye said as she crouched next to a pile of ruffled up leaves. "From here, two sets of tracks head into that direction, the one much heavier than the other, probably carrying something."

"Or someone." Hughes mused.

"They're headed in the direction of Fenief." Roy said as he scanned the forest around them. "How many men do we have stationed there?"

"Only Major Armstrong, Sir. The Fuhrer recalled most of the men we had stationed there originally, only leaving those who work under your command, as well as the Major and Hughes, sir." Hawkeye responded, standing upright.

"We'll have to station some men here, in case something happens, and we'll need some more to come with us. They might have a trap set up for us in Fenief." Hughes mused, as he moved back towards the cottage, Roy following suite.

"You're right."

"You're very calm for someone who had a _close_ subordinate taken." Hughes whispered, making Roy growl at him under his breath.

"Edward's life is in danger, Hughes. If we rush into this, or make stupid mistakes, we could force their hands and cause Ed's death. Don't take caution for calm. Make no mistake about this, when we find those bastards, I will burn them to dust."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Hughes shrugged.

* * *

Edward awoke slowly, her mind becoming aware of the pain in her back before her eyes even opened. She didn't have to wonder where she was, the last thing she remembered before darkness claimed her, still fresh in her mind. Her eyes opened slightly as she took in her surroundings. To her relief, it seemed like she was in a lit basement this time, the light handing above her head. The room was cold, the temperature intensifying the pain she could feel in her auto-mail port, though she didn't let herself worry about it long, her golden orbs focusing on the table next to her.

She didn't need to try to move to know she was tied down to the table, her arms on either side of her head, her legs spread out as well. The cold of the table on her bare skin told her that she was in nothing but her underwear and her eyes didn't have to focus on the table next to her for long to know what it had sprawled on top of it.

Ed knew she would be tied down, though she had hoped they would tie her arms together instead. That way she would have been able to slam her hands together, however awkwardly. Of course, the thought that they might not, had ensured that she prepared for the situation she was in now. She had originally planned on waiting for Roy to find her, had originally planned on using her trump card to surprise them with the flame alchemist to back her up. The tools next to her filled her with such a fear like she had never experienced, turning her well thought plan into a rushed mess, the need to get out of there almost suffocating her.

Focusing on her fingers, she moved her second and fourth auto-mail digits until they were pressed together, the faint scratches she had made in them forming a simple transmutation circle, one she had practiced using in the last few days. With her middle finger pressed against the circle, she closed her eyes and focused, turning her auto-mail arm into a sharp blade, cutting the ropes around it in the process. With swift movements, she cut the remainder of her restraints, wasting little time to get up off of the table. A glance around the room told her, her clothes were nowhere near. She would have to beat these mad men while half naked, a thought she really didn't relish.

The door slid open, as she shook her head in disbelief at their arrogance. They must have been so certain that she wouldn't be able to escape; they didn't bother locking the door. With swift yet quiet movements, she moved down the hallway, until she came to a set of stairs, the memory of the last time she tried to escape flashing to her mind. Ed stood at the bottom of the stairs, her ears straining to hear any movement. When she was satisfied that she wouldn't be pushed down the stairs again, she made her way up them, pushing the door open slightly to scan around.

Ed glanced around the empty kitchen, the anger at their arrogance boiling inside her. They would defiantly pay for thinking they had her trapped. Her fingers closed around the red apple, biting into it as she moved towards the coat rack, grabbing the first coat, pulling it on. To her relief, it was longer than hers, so she could cover up most of her body. Taking another bite of the apple, as loudly as she could, she moved down the hallway, her arm ready to cut anything that came near her.

Two empty rooms later, she stopped in front of a door that stood slightly ajar. Ed placed the half eaten apple in the hand of the strange sculpture these people probably called art, a smile playing across her face as the red fruit made the bronze man look strangely comedic. She pushed open the door, her eyes scanning the room for her capturers, before landing on the woman in the bed, her hair more silver than black in places.

"Frank, is that you?" A weak voice asked, making Ed swallow hard. "I thought you were helping my sister move something…"

"I was, but it didn't take as long as I thought."

Edward jumped forward, spinning around with her blade pointed straight at the man. She hadn't even heard him walk up to her, what exactly was he?

"I see you finally woke up. Tell me, princess, how did you get out of your restraints?" When Ed just glared at him, he continued, moving over to the bed, completely ignoring her aggressive posture. "Not that it matters. I see you've met my wife, Sasha. Sasha, this is the sacrifice I told you about."

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, dear. I heard they're absolutely amazing."

"What?" Ed blurted out, her eyes moving to the elderly woman in the bed.

"Your eyes, my sister says they're the most amazing eyes she had ever seen."

"They'll be your eyes soon, my love."

Ed backed away from the bed as what he said sunk in, her breath catching on her lips. She stopped short as her back pressed against something, two arms holding hers back. She instinctively started to struggle against her captor, only to have Frank move over to her, his lips carrying a sadistic smile.

"Your metal arm is becoming a real bother, so how about we remove it?"

"No…"

His hands wrapped around her auto-mail, as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. A sick laugh made its way into her ears as a sharp pain filled her port, the wires connecting to the nerves straining as her metal arm was ripped from the socket. A shrill scream escaped her lips, the pain of the sudden disconnection almost sending her mind back to blackness. Ed was faintly aware of her body being dragged down a flight of stairs, a cold metal pressing against her bare back again. The restraints around her arm were metal this time, and she knew she had messed up what was probably her one chance of getting away.

A familiar scent filled her nose as Ed started regaining her senses, the pain in the port lessening just enough for her to focus. Ed watched the door from the table she was tied to, as the woman entered her sight, a bottle with two green eyes swirling inside. She moved closer, placing the jar on the table in full sight of Ed, before she bent over, her lips inches from Edward's.

"Hello Edward. I hope you're ready for what we have planned for you." The familiar voice said, making Ed growl. "I bet you didn't expect me to be involved, did you?"

"I thought you were a decent person, but I guess I was wrong."

"I am a decent person, Edward. It's you and your military that are the real monsters. You blinded my sister, after you let her get tortured and raped. Tell me, who's really the monsters?"

"It wasn't us who did all of that, and even if it was, that doesn't give you the right to kill and torture innocent women!"

"I have every right to avenge my sister. Faking her death was easy for me, though finding a way to restore what your military had taken from her took longer than I had hoped. But now we have a way. First I'll restore her sight, using your eyes. Then I'll kill those military fools who think they have the right to set foot in our town." She laughed as she moved towards the door, Frank right behind her. "You'll wish you never met me, little girl."

"I already do, Lydia." Ed growled as the door shut behind them, leaving her alone again.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if it's shorter than usual, and a bit disjointed. Like I said, I have been abandoned by the plot bunnies. Anyway, Feel free to review (always makes me happy to know when you guys enjoy the chapter). Until next time :3**


	12. Urgency

**Warning! There will be descriptions of violence, and mild torture in this chapter. Don't read if you're squeamish. I will try to keep it as mild as possible, as to not mess with the current rating. **

**AN: I know it has been an unbelivably long time since I last updated this. So, to make up for it, I will be posting the final chapter either tonight or tomorrow. Thank you everyone for being so patient with me. I also have to appologise if the chapter feels disjointed. i didn't want to go into too much detail, to avoid any issues, and i feel like that severely limited my writing. But I still hope you guys like it. **

* * *

To say that she was tired was the understatement of the year. The constant pain in both her shoulder port as well as her back had made it impossible for her to sleep. Then there was the constant fear of the tools on the table next to her. It was completely irrational how she didn't care that they wanted to kill her to take her eyes, that what really scared her was the metal items that would be biting into her flesh soon. Edward Elric wasn't scared of anything, until now.

She had no idea where she was being held either, though she knew Hawkeye would be able to track them. Ed had made sure she got taken in the woods, where her captors couldn't help but leave a trail that a trained sniper would be able to follow. A hint of a smile played across her face as she remembered when Hawkeye had told her about her training, when she had learned the basics of tracking someone. After all, how was a sniper supposed to track their target without it? The smile fell off her face when the door opened, revealing a smiling Lydia, Frank right behind her.

"Good to see that you're awake. I'd hate for you to sleep through the best part." Frank spoke as he walked over to her, the woman Ed had once thought to be friendly nurse walking to the opposite side of the room, instantly fidgeting with a large machine. "So, princess…" He started again, pulling her attention, "what would you like first? Shall we start with your favourite?"

Edward bit her tongue as he lifted the blade that caused the wound on her calf, moving it close to her face, so close she could see each imperfection in the metal. She stayed quiet though, refusing to give him the response he so obviously craved. The blade bit into her cheek as he growled, drawing blood.

"Leave her face, I don't want you accidently injuring her eyes." Lydia's voice ran through the room, making Frank hiss as he moved the blade down.

"You spoil all my fun, you know that?"

"You can have all the fun you want, Frank. Just leave her face alone, and make sure you don't kill her yet."

"You know what?" His breath brushed against Ed's cheek as he whispered in her ear. "When she's done restoring Sasha's sight, I'm going to kill her too. Show her nice and proper what happens when you order Frank around like some common slave."

"She's your wife's sister…"

"She's nothing to me, just like you, princess. The only thing you are good for is amusement. I find it amusing when you squirm under my touch." His hand moved down her arm, her body twitching involuntarily, making him smile. "I love it when you moan in pain." His hand curled around her injured calf, making her groan in pain as he applied pressure. "And it really turns me on when you scream. Why don't I make you scream a bit, princess?"

Ed hissed as the pressure around her calf disappeared. "I'll never give you what you want, you bastard."

"You will, princess. I will keep going until you do, even if it means I end up killing you."

Edward watched in horror as he pulled a different blade from the table, running it down the length of her body, the tip barely touching her skin, like some sort of tease intended to wake up every nerve in her body.

* * *

Roy moved through the woods with Hawkeye and Hughes short on his trail, though he didn't pay much attention to them, his mind wandering back to the night he had carried her through these woods, the same fear gripping his heart as it had done that night. He knew they didn't have long to reach her before her life would be forfeit, those bastards wouldn't give them the same chance they had had the first time. By now, she was probably being tortured, screaming in pain, calling out his name, praying for him to save her.

No, Edward wouldn't be calling out his name, or wishing for him to swoop in like a knight in shining armor. Edward would be snapping at her captors, cursing them with each breath. She would be holding back her screams of pain as much as she could, just to piss them off. Roy hopped over the fallen tree, the grunts behind him telling him that he was still being followed. Edward was a stubborn, hot headed woman, filled to the brim with strength, courage and pride. She would put up a good fight, and at the end of it all, she would pay for it with her life.

Roy growled as he pushed his legs forward, a breathless Hughes and silent Hawkeye following suite. They had to hurry, they had to reach Fenief and find Edward before it was too late.

As they neared the end of the forest, the houses beginning to peek through the brush ahead, Hawkeye pushed forward, her eyes scanning the ground as all three of them came to a halt. Roy watched her intently as she searched the ground for the tracks, nodding her head to the right when she finally found them. Roy let her lead the way, not wanting to compromise their only way of finding Ed. To his deepest disappointment, the tracks seemed to fade as they reached the first road, the cars of the local populous having wiped them out.

"Now what?" Hughes asked through gasping breaths, his eyes scanning the buildings around them.

"Now we find Major Armstrong, and separate into smaller groups. Havoc and Fuery should be arriving soon."

"Major Armstrong is staying at that Inn, Sir." Hawkeye spoke up as she pointed down the road, the small dangling wooden board visible even from that distance.

"First Lieutenant, go brief the Major, and wait for the others there. When Havoc and Feury arrive, split into two groups, and search the city. Search everywhere, leave no stone unturned. Make sure to be careful." As she started to turn away, Roy spoke up again; making her stop in her tracks and turn to him. "When you find Ed, you are to restrain the criminals only. I will deal with them, personally."

Hawkeye gave him her knowing look, but she saluted none the less, disappearing down the road moments later, leaving him with the judging looks of Hughes, though he didn't really care. Nothing and no-one would be able to stop him from burning these bastards until they were merely dust in the wind.

* * *

She was numb. Every nerve in her body had been strained until they could no longer feel anything. Yet, the blade digging into her side burned like fire, almost like the blade was made out of molten liquid. She had stopped struggling against it, any movement seemingly making the pain worse. Instead, she resigned herself to enduring the pain while watching Lydia and Frank work on the machine next to her.

It took all of her strength to focus on what the two were doing, the feeling of her blood pooling around her on the table almost too much to handle. Occasionally she would feel like she was going to loose conciousness, but then she would move slightly, the pain pulling her back to her senses.

"Go get her." Lydia instructed as she wiped her hands on her shirt, smearing streaks of oil on it. Ed watched as Frank left the room, before turning her attention back to the woman.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You know why." Lydia retorted sharply. "I'm not going to waste my time explaining it again."

"But why me?"

"Because who wouldn't want those golden orbs for themselves?" She asked as she moved close enough for Ed to see the speck of blue in her eyes. "They really are something. When I saw your brother with the same colour eyes, I must admit, I almost had Frank catch him so I could have those eyes for myself."

Ed hissed, glaring back at her. "If you so much as touch..."

"Relax. I haven't touched him. I decided getting Sasha's eyes back was more important than anything else. Besides." She spoke, watching as the elderly woman entered the room, Frank helping her walk. "I cant wait to get him out of my life, and this is the only way to do so."

"Why haven't you moved her yet?" Frank asked annoyed as he helped Sasha closer. With a growl, he helped her sit, before moving over to Edward, yanking on her restraints with little regard of what it would do to her. "The faster we get you strapped down, Princess, the faster I can get my wife back her sight…" His voice turned to a whisper as he came in close to her face, making her gag, "and then I can have what I want from you."

* * *

Roy watched in frustration as his men left another house, shaking their heads with a defeated look on their faces. With a growl, he pushed past Hughes who was still busy talking to him, heading towards the next house. They had gone through half of the town so far. That's nearly an hour since they arrived. An hour added to the time Edward had been in pain, an hour more torture. It was taking all his strength to refrain from burning down every house that didn't produce results.

Without a second thought, Roy pushed open the door of the small cottage like house, a strong smell of fish entering his nose. Pushing forward, he walked past the kitchen, the cutting board still holding evidence of fish being gutted, a knife protruding from its wooden surface. Roy's eyes glanced to the apples in the basket before scanning the rest of the room.

At the sound of Hughes' footsteps, he pushed forward, moving down the hallway with his hand ready to snap. Passing room after room, he scanned them each slowly before moving on. Stopping next to the strange statue with a half eaten apple resting in its open palms, Roy slowly pushed open the door it was guarding, with Hughes looking over his shoulder.

"Someone was here less than ten minutes ago." Hughes muttered, motioning to the cup of tea that still had some heat radiating from it. "I wonder where they went."

"I don't really care." Roy retorted coldly, pushing past Hughes as he continued down the hallway. It didn't take him long to come to another room, this one with a staircase heading downwards, probably the basement. Without a second thought, Roy headed towards it, descending the steps slowly. At the bottom, the temperature seemed to drop drastically, sending a shiver down his spine.

Pushing on, the two men moved down the dark hallway, heading towards what seemed to be a light In the distance, a strange humming sound coming from it. Everything stopped as a familiar scream radiated through the hall, freezing Roy to the spot.

* * *

She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything as the door flung open, causing her tormentors to spin around. She could barely see what was going on any more, her vision filling with blood, bile rising in her throat as she fought unconsciousness once more. This time though it wasn't in hope that Roy would come for her. No, this time it was in fear that if she gave in, she wouldn't ever wake again.

The pain in her left eye was unbearable, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. The last thing she remembered was being strapped to the strange machine. The next thing she knew there was this unbelievable noise, followed by a burning fire shooting through her left eye.

She was faintly aware of the sound of pained screams, faintly aware of the smell of burning flesh, faintly aware of the pressure against her wrist and legs being lifted. She could barely see the onyx eyes staring at her, barely smell the faint hint of smoke and familiarity. Her mind was fading fast, so as her body was lifted from the cold slab, she gave in to the strong pull of the darkness. Finally, her pain was over. She had done what she could. Now… now she could finally rest.


	13. Just beginning

Roy stood in the dull hallway, his hands fisted against his side as he stared out of the window, not really focusing on anything at all. His mind was as messy and frayed as his nerves where, and once again he felt completely useless. He had gotten to her too late. He had entered the room as the machine pulled away from her, blood dripping from what looked like a claw. It didn't take him long to realize what was in those claws, and he had snapped. A smirk played across his face. Roy wasn't one to take pleasure in hurting others, but for once, he couldn't say that he felt particularly bad either. They had been the cause of so much pain, so much suffering, that he had no doubt that what he had done was for the better. And he had no doubt either that if he hadn't done it, then Riza would have taken care of it in her own ways.

Roy turned his head to look at the closed door, the sounds of movement barely noticeable from within. How long had he been standing there, in that hallway? He no longer had a sense of time, not since he had realized she was gone. Time stopped moving, and the world seemed to come to a complete stand still. His fingers itched as he frowned. What he wouldn't give for something to burn right at that moment, but he didn't dare move. Not until he knew for sure.

He was faintly aware of the footsteps coming towards him, his eyes losing their focus again as his mind wandered to the woman who seemed to control his world. How was she capable of turning everything upside down in little under a month? If he was being completely honest, his world had turned around so many times, he had lost count. It had all started that day they were attacked. The day he had found out that the loud mouthed brat that he loved teasing, that had a temper that rivaled his own at times, was a woman. After that, everything became surreal. They had wound up in a forsaken little village. He had fell into despair multiple times at the thought of losing her and he had found the ultimate joy of spending time with someone you trusted. He had had the chance of experiencing what it would be like to live with Edward, and if he was being honest, he found the prospect of being alone In his own flat unappealing.

The door he had been staring at unseeingly opened, revealing a pale woman, her hair tied into a messy bun on her head. She blinked at him, supprised for a moment, before smiling at him.

"Sir, why are you standing out here?"

Roy had to blink to clear the fog out of his view. Why had he been standing out there? How did you explain to someone that you didn't feel like you had the right to be in that room with her. How did you put into words that you felt responsible for letting the one you cared for get hurt? All these questions flashed through his mind, making him bite his tongue. The nurse didn't seem all that bothered with his lack of response, instead moving to grant him access to the room. Hesitantly, Roy took a step forward, half expecting the room to lash out at his very presence. When nothing happened, his feet moved again, his mind not controlling them but instead focusing on the woman in the bed.

She lay there watching him approach, her face betraying no emotion as the doctor moved towards the door, it closing behind them moments later. He stood at the foot of her bed, his fingers twitching as he fought the urge to move closet, to run his fingers through her hair. Instead, he did the one thing he knew he had no right to do, yet would never be able to stop doing.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry..."

The silence filled the room as her stare intensified. He knew he had no right to appologise to her. He had no right to ask her for her forgiveness. He had let her down so badly, that he had no doubt in his mind that she would never be able to forgive him. He knew he never would either.

"What are you apologizing for, Bastard?"

Roy stared at her in shock, the tone of her voice throwing him off completely. "I had let you down!" He almost yelled, not quite sure why she didn't understand this fact as he did. "If it wasn't for me, you would never have gotten hurt..."

"Stating the obvious, I see." She said with a grin, throwing him off even more. Before he could say another word, she continued. "Do you really think you're to blame for anything that happened? Seriously, Mustang, are you really that conceited?"

Roy's mind was reeling. How did she not blame him? How did she not hate him for everything that had happened? He surely did. When he didn't respond, her voice softened.

"Roy, I don't blame you for anything. If anything, I owe you for saving my life. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I would have lost more than just..." she trailed off, her fingers lifting to brush against the bandage. "They wouldn't have stopped with the left, we both know that."

"But if I had gotten there earlier..." Roy started, finally finding his voice only to have her interrupt him.

"You got there much faster than anyone else would have!" She almost yelled, her hands fisting against the sheets. Her face softened again as she continued. "Roy, they were crazed lunatics. They're the ones to blame, not you."

Roy was about to protest when the door opened again, shortly followed by the sound of a very distressed Alphonse. Roy watched from the side as her brother carried on about how irresponsible she had been, Edward trying hard not to look like a kid caught in the cookie jar. It still baffled him how she didn't hold him responsible.

"Edward, I will make it up to you." He said with determination, making both of them stare at him. "I will make it up to you, even if it takes forever."

And her single golden orb softened as she smiled slightly, knowing that there was no arguing with him when he was this determined. At least, she thought, it meant that their adventure was just starting.

* * *

**AN: I want to thank everyone for supporting me this whole time. I know it took way too long to finish this story, and I really want to thank you guys for sticking with me through that. I hope that everyone enjoyed this story as much as I did. I will probably be writing a sequel at some point in the future, but I won't be doing mutli-chapters again. If I do publish it as a mutli, then it will be once I've finished all of it. I do not want to make you guys wait as long as you did for this one. **

**Feel free to leave me reviews, and i'm always happy to chat. **

**See you guys in the next story. :3**


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